The Max Amount of One-Shots
by TheyAlwaysUseADagger
Summary: A one-shot collection so that I keep them all in one place. Rated T just to be safe. Current One-Shot: Support. Social pariah Marinette Dupin-Cheng has been chased out of school by Lila. However, not everyone has been turned against her. Who will it take to see speak up before people open their eyes to what has happened? Adrien isn't sure. But one way or another, it will happen.
1. Eiffel for You - Marichat

Current One-Shot: Eiffel For You. Chat showing up on Marinette's door step was NOT what she was expecting. But she's willing to show a stray cat some love. A one-shot for pinksakura271 to apologize for my long disappearance.

* * *

 **Eiffel For You**

 **Wow, I've been gone far too long! I'm very sorry. I promise I will get to updating all of my stories (as well as writing one for another fandom cause rip me I can't help myself). However, I promised pinsakura271 a one-shot with a prompt of her choice as an apology for disappearing, and _then_ I disappeared before doing that. So I have to write that first. I'm very sorry life got in the way of updating! Between some hard life issues, anxiety and other mental issues, as well as lack of time, everything has been straining my creativity and ability to write fanfiction. But I'm back, at least for now! I'll try to work more consistently for now, but no promises with school and all that crap. Thankfully Christmas break is almost upon me, and then I can hopefully do a big updating spree! We'll see though.**

 **Anyways, this one-shot is for you, pinksakura271! Enjoy. c; Also, I live in America, so this will have no references to Season 2 of Miraculous in it yet! ;-; I want it so badly guys.**

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

Chat Noir appearing on my roof top was _not_ how I intended for my night to go.

I look at him, eyes wide and lips ready to ask what he's doing there, only to freeze. My poor partner looks up at me with watery eyes, offering me a shaky smile.

"Hello, Purrincess. Sorry for dropping in on you like this." He gives a shaky laugh, wiping at his eyes, and my heart shatters. "This wasn't my intention."

"Are you okay, Chat?" I ask, stepping towards him with a frown. "What are you doing out so late?"

He shrugs rather hopelessly. "Distracting myself. Today is my birthday, but I wasn't allowed to see anyone today. It basically went forgotten."

That's the real kick to the gut. He didn't even get to see me, his partner, and I, as his partner, didn't even know it was his birthday! I feel terrible.

Before I truly register what I'm doing, I wrap my arms around him. "Oh Kitty, I'm sorry." Then, I get an idea. "Well then you can come in for a bit. We'll have our own personal birthday party in my room. I can get snacks from the bakery."

"Really?" The small spark of hope in Chat's voice is what solidifies the idea. "I don't want to be a burden..."

"It won't be a burden at all. It'll be fun. I finished all my homework anyways." I pull away and offer him a wide smile.

He smiles back broadly. "Princess, you have no idea how pawsitively this has impacted my day."

I roll my eyes, tugging on his hand and leading him to my trapdoor. "Come on, Kitty. It's your birthday!"

We end up watching a movie and eating snacks, as well as talking. It's ironic, but as I talk to Chat more, I realize how little I really know about him. We don't talk nearly enough as partners. By the end of things, Chat is laughing alongside me and all his previous distress seems forgotten. The simple act of seeing him so happy makes me happy.

I end up yawning, leading Chat to say, "Alright, time for you to get some sleep."

I shake my head. "No, we can stay up longer. I'm fine." As if to add insult to injury, I end up yawning again.

"No, you need sleep." He insists, and when I don't move, he picks me up bridal style and carries me over to his bed. "Thank you for the party, Princess. It means a lot that you would do that. I had fun."

"Me too." He sets me down on the bed and I barely manage to stifle my squeak.

"Get some sleep, okay?" When I nod and manage to give a slurred 'You too,' he just laughs.

Two nights later, he's on my rooftop again as I water my plants. I find myself smiling, not even bothering to scold him for being there after our last experience. I'll even let it slide as Ladybug. I can't fault him for this.

"You're back!" I say with a grin, walking closer. "What brought you by my roof tonight?"

He smiles back, hurrying over and pulling me into an unexpected hug. "I've come to say thank you for throwing me that party tonight. Can I steal you away for tonight? I pawmise it will be fun, and you'll be back safe and sound."

I rold my eyes at him. "That pun was really stretching it."

"Will you come?" He looks so excited, so even if I was going to say no for some reason, there's no way I could now. "Please?"

"Okay, Kitty." I laugh. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see. Here, come here." I step towards him and he wraps his arm around my waist, causing me to squeak in surprise. "Trust me, this will be worth it."

In his other hand, he holds his baton, and then he extends it as he uses it to vault us over the rooftops. I've never really gotten to enjoy traveling from Chat's point of view; anytime we use his baton we're focused on finding an akuma. But we're not finding one now, and so I get to see this through Chat's point of view. I laugh as I look over the city, the beauty of it hitting me all over again. The sight of Paris at night, only lit by street lights and some houses, is stunning.

However, the beauty of the city is forgotten as Chat brings us higher only to bring us down on my favorite part of Paris: the Eiffel Tower. My eyes widen as he sets me down. He has a whole little set up up here, with a table and food and a small radio.

"Chat," I squeak, turning around to look at him, "What is this?"

"I wanted to thank you, and decided I might as well make it nice." He grins, seeming pleased that this has flustered me. "Tell me, Princess, do you know how to dance?"

"No way." I shake my head furiously as he turns on his radio. "I'm awful at it."

"A princess who is bad at dancing? Impawsible!" He extends his hand towards me. "I think I can prove that wrong."

I raise my eyebrows, unsure what to think of this. "Are you asking me to dance?"

He steps closer, picking up my hands in his. "Are you saying yes?"

Before I can actually respond, he carefully moves my hands to the right position, and then smiles down at me as he positions his own. He doesn't say anything, instead just guiding me into some sort of slow dance. My cheeks have flushed red at this point, but I don't break the silence or even tell him off for this. It's actually really nice. Am I crazy for this? I like Adrien, so why does it feel like my heart is pounding because I'm so close to Chat.

"Marinette?" Chat whispers by my ears, holding me closer than I expected. "I don't know when it furst hit me. Maybe when you handled Evillustrator, but I ignored it then. I thought I adored my lady, but now...Now I'm not sure." My heartbeat begins to quicken. Is he saying what I think he's saying? "You're just so sweet, and I...I think Eiffel for you, Princess." He lets me go, turning away for a second. "Am I crazy for that?"

I pull him into a hug from behind, smiling like an idiot. "No, Kitty, this...This has been really nice. I, I don't know for sure yet, but I think I've fallen for you too. And if you're willing to, I'm willing to give us a shot."

Chat appearing on my rooftop was _exactly_ how I intended for the next night to go.

* * *

 **Woo, there we have it! I hope you guys enjoyed an actual happy one-shot from me for once. Yay! I can actually write something happy! :D What did you guys think? Was it good? Bad? I don't like writing this sort of sappy stuff as much, so sorry if it isn't up to par, but I made myself promise I wouldn't make a one-shot with a happy prompt for someone sad! Let me know what you thought of this set up in a review. In an actual story I would have had more build up to the Eiffel Tower scene, but for a one-shot that I didn't want to have take too long I figured this was okay. Let me know any other one-shot ideas you might want to see in the future (especially sad ones) in a review. c:**

 **Now I'll actually update some of my stories (and potentially post a one-shot that has been in the works for a while) that I have neglected. See you around and thanks for the support!**

 **~ Dagger**


	2. So Many Cookies - Ladynoir

Current One-Shot: So Many Cookies. In which Ladybug is done putting up with Chat's awful baking, and decides to show him what real cookies taste like. Who knew a single batch of cookies could lead to such an odd series of events? Kind of Ladynoir for my annoying best friend that found my account.

* * *

 **So Many Cookies**

 **Should I be updating one of my stories that I haven't updated in months? Probably. Am I going to right now? Nah. Instead, I'm writing a one-shot (for a new one-shot collection) for my very annoying best friend who found my fanfiction account. He's a jerk (not really, he's a pretty cute dork, but that's beyond the point). He told me I had to make this note as adorable as possible (but none of my author notes are cute so that's hard to accomplish) so that is not happening. He also told me to write a happy one-shot though, which I will try to do. But I'm bad at that, so we'll see how it goes.**

 **As usual, a fair warning to you that I write in the first person. If that's a problem, pick a different story to read! If not, please continue. It'll just be from Ladybug's/Marinette's point of view, but I'll do my best to distinguish which she is at the time as the story continues.**

 **And yes, I am aware that this was initially where I had "Eiffel FOr You," but the wifi I'm on is blocking me from uploading a new story to keep a collection of one-shots in, so I decided I'd upload this ome here alongside Eiffel For You and then just keep uploading more one-shots here. Hopefully that's okay! I had to be creative on how to solve the problem, and this is what I came up with.**

 **But enough rambling from me, here's the story!**

* * *

 _Ladybug's Point of View_

* * *

Patrol was always a fun time. Chat and I would race across the roof tops, trying to outdo each other with tricks while searching for any signs of trouble. It was always a nice break from whatever stressors were weighing me down, plus I coud always count on Chat to be a great friend to talk to.

So how the heck did things go from that to me trying to brainstorm ways to get out of patrol with him?

Just thinking about the whole situation is laughable. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, but cookies are the reason I'm desperately trying to avoid patrol.

It was a sweet attempt on Chat's part. I'm not sure what his reason was, but out of the blue Chat decided it'd be a great idea to bring snacks for patrol. I tried to volunteer to do it sometimes, but he insisted he would do it all and that he'd have a snack for the next patrol. I rolled my eyes but agreed; to be honest, I expected him to forget. But low and behold, the next time we met for patrol he had a bag of cookies.

* * *

 _"Care to try one, m'lady?" He gets down on one knee and presents the bag to me. "I made them myself."_

 _"Chat, you didn't have to go through all that trouble." I sputter, shocked to hear he'd spend that much time on a simple snack for patrol._

 _He rolls his eyes. "Of course I did! It has to be authentic. Besides, this was my first time ever baking cookies. I think they'll taste mew-volous."_

 _Shaking my head, I grab one of the cookies out of the bag. I have to keep a frown off my face as I examine the lumpy circle he hands me. It looks a bit misformed, and while I think it's a chocolate chip cookie, I'm not quite sure. After examining it for a moment, I take a bite, and cringe at the taste that floods my mouth. It feels like all I'm eating is pure sugar, with tiny lumps of chocolate in between. My tastebuds, raised on the practically perfect chocolate chip cookies from Dupain-Cheng Bakery, cry out at the below average quality._

 _"Wow," Is all I manage to get out as I force myself to chew and swallow the bite, "Wow."_

 _Chat seems to miss my barely disguised disgust, bouncing up and down with excitement. "Do you like them?"_

 _I cringe, unable to shatter his enthusiasm. "Ya! Ya, they're great, Chat." It's hard to keep myself from adding, "_ _Oh gosh, they're the worst cookies I've ever tasted."_

 _"I'm glad you like them!" Chat exclaims as I force the rest of his awful cookie down my throat. "Want another?"_

 _"Thank you for the offer, but I really shouldn't..." I trail off as he shoves the bag in my face, and carefully take another cookie._

* * *

And so it continued, night after night. Chat would bring cookies for me - interestingly enough, he never eat any himself - and I would have to stuff them down my throat or find creative ways to get rid of them when he wasn't looking. Sometimes they were too sweet, other times they were horribly salty. How he accomplished that, I had no idea. Sometimes they were barely cooked, other times they were burnt, and on a rare ocassion they're baked at a normal level. Sometimes they crumbled to pieces when I touched them, and other times they were as hard as rocks and hurt my jaw to try and eat. Those ones always had to be disposed of, and I always had to reist the urge to fling one at an akuma.

Maybe it would've been bareable if he'd just brought them for patrol. But it suddenly seemed like any time I was with Chat, he had cookies. I don't even know how it was possible for him to pull off, because akuma attacks are _completely_ random. But somehow, Chat found a way to bring me cookies. Even the Ladyblog had caught on, and everyone began to speculate about my love for cookies. Alya spun it into more proof that Chat and I were dating, making things even harder.

It'd gotten to the point where I was begging Tikki to help me find a way to avoid patrol.

* * *

 _"What if I say I lost one of my earrings?" I ask, pacing in my room._

 _"And how are you going to tell him that if you've lost an earring and can't transform?" Tikki fired back, getting a groan from me in response._

 _Another suggestion came to mind. "What if I say I'm sick and so I have to stay home?"_

 _Tikki was still dubious. "Are you really going to lie to your partner?"_

 _I tug at my pigtails in frustration, stopping in my tracks. "What am I supposed to do, Tikki? I can't keep eating and disposing of those cookies. I thought I was actually going to vomit it up in front of him after last time!"_

 _"Calm down, Marinette." Tikki flies over to hover in front of my face. "Maybe it's time you stop lying to him?"_

 _"Lying? I'm not lying. I'd never lie to my partner. I hate liars. You know that, Tikki. Why ever would I lie?" The look on Tikki's face stopped my rambling._

 _She siged before asking, "What do you call what you've been doing right now?" Before I can actually say anything to defend myself, Tikki begins in the tone that means she's imitating me, "Wow, these are great, Chat! Wow. Thank you! Yes, I love them. These are_ really _goo-"_

 _"I get it." I huff, cutting her off before she can continue. "You made your point. I've been lying to Chat, which is no good. But I just don't want to hurt his feelings!"_

 _"He'll be more hurt if he finds out on his own that you're lying, and that you've been throwing half the cookies he thinks you love into the Seine. How many do you think are down there?" Her tone was amused, not accussing. "A hundred? At least?"_

 _I had to stifle a giggle, offering a weak defense of, "Come on, Tikki, I even gave_ you _one of the cookies and you didn't like them. What am I supposed to do?"_

 _And she, of course, has the right answer, I just don't want to hear it. "Tell him the truth. Break it to him gently, but still tell him. He deserves to know, and then he'll learn to stop bringing those horrible cookies."_

 _"I just don't want to hurt him." I moan, flopping back on to my couch._

* * *

But finally, I reached my wits end and decided to put a stop to it following Tikki's advice. I had had enough of awful tasting cookies, and had made up my mind to show Chat what a real cookie tasted like. My parents didn't mind me using the kitchen as long as I asked, especially when I told them I wanted to make some for friends. And I decided it didn't have to be a lie, because Chat was my friend and Tikki would want one, and besides, I could actually bring them into school the next day.

So I set out and made the best chocolate chips I had ever made, at least in my opinion. It was with great pride I gently put them in a bag, giving the last one to Tikki and eating another for myself. She approved of my method, so long as I was gentle with how I told Chat, and I thought this would work pretty well. After she finished, I transformed for patrol and headed out to meet up with my partner, cookie bag in hand.

* * *

 _"Bugaboo!" Chat grins widely and waves a bag in his hand filled with what I assume are more poorly made cookies. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ditching me!"_

 _"No way." I say with a firm shake of my head. "I was just a little held up."_

 _I land on the roof, and Chat notes the bag in my hand. "Who is that for, m'lady?"_

 _"For you, actually. Put your hand out." At my insistence, he sticks his hand out, and I open my bag, take one of my cookies out, and carefully set it there. "I made you a cookie."_

 _He stares in disbelief. "You made me a cookie?" When I nod, he carefully examines it, not too unlike how Miss Caline describes the Greeks when they got gifts from their Greek gods in their myths. "It looks_ egg _-cellent."_

 _I have to resist the urge to face palm. "You've made that pun a million times, kitty."_

 _"I'm glad you decided to_ chip _in and bring a snack." He quickly adds, "Although you really didn't have to."_

 _"Just eat the cookie!" I groan, and finally he does as told._

 _His eyes light up and his jaw drops after the first bite, and he quickly stuffs the rest in his mouth. As he chews, he asks, "You made this? It tastes heavenly!"_

 _I roll my eyes, looking away when a few crumbs fall from his mouth. "Mouth closed while you're eating, Chaton."_

 _He manges to swallow and then repeats his question. "You made that? All on your own?" I nod. "My lady, that was amazing! You're one smart_ cookie _."_

 _"And you're really stretching the puns." I say with a sigh._

 _"Really? I thought I was on a_ roll _." He winks, and I groan even louder than previously. "This day was great for me, but getting this gift from you was_ icing on the cake _." He must finally decide that I look annoyed enough to stop, bevause he then asks, "But seriously, why did you bring the cookies? Not that I don't appreciate it, but..."_

 _"Because, you needed to see what an_ actual _cookie tastes like." Chat's eyes widen in question, and so I say with a sigh, "Try one of your cookies now that you've tasted one of mine."_

 _Confused, he reaches into his bag and takes one out. Already it doesn't look nearly as nice but mine. However, when he takes a bite, he yelps, tossing it away. It's one ot the rock cookies today, and it doesn't even break when it smacks off the roof. That really speaks to how hard it was, because I've learned from personal experience that Chat's throw is incredibly hard._

 _"They're awful." He remarks, ears and tails droopping as he stares at it for a moment before looking at me. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

 _"I didn't want to hurt your feelings." I respond, and when he still looks sad, I decide to give him a quick hug and add, "I appreciate the intent though, I really do. It means a lot that you would make me cookies, because I'm sure you've spent a lot of time on it. Just maybe, you know, buy them instead next time? Or_ I _can be in charge of making the snacks."_

 _He laughs, nodding his head in agreement and seeming in significantly higher spirits. "Will do. No more cookies baked by myself. Guess I'll bake cupcakes instead!" I guess my face must look horrified, because Chat laughs and adds, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I won't bake you anything else. I wouldn't want to_ bake _a fool of myself in front of my lady."_

 _"I swear," I moan, pinching the bridge of my nose with my free hand, "Your puns only get worse and worse!"_

* * *

All of this I process again as I head into school. I'm super excited to bring in the remaining cookies, although there aren't many left. Despite my insistence that I wanted to give a few to my friends, Chat kept asking for more, and I couldn't deny his puppy eyes. He also stole a few when I wasn't paying attention, taking great glee when I tried to swat his hands and take it back before he stuffed it in his mouth. But all in all it was fun, and I had just enough to give one more to Tikki, give one to my three main friends, and eat one myself.

As I enter the room, on time for once in my life, Adrien gives my bag a funny look, but says nothing. He just stares at it as I walk past him to my seat, and Nino actually has to shake him to make him stop. It's weird, to say the least.

"What's in the bag, girl? Spill!" Alya is quick to pounce when I sit down, pulling the bag away from me.

"Hey!" I squeak, pulling it back. "I brought cookies." I try to ignore how Adrien freezes when I say it. "And they _are_ to share."

"Ooh, give me!" My best friend says, clapping her hands in excitement. "Your cookies always taste amazing, Marinette. What's the occassion?"

I shrug my shoulder as I fish one out of the bag and hand it to her. "No special occassion, I just wanted to do some baking."

"Dude, I don't mean to eavesdrop..." We both turn to look at Nino and snicker as he hungrily eyes the bag, "But I didn't have time to eat any breakfast. Mind if I have one?"

"Can I have one too, Marinette?" I practically melt inside when Adrien makes eye contact with me and asks, smiling his sweet smile.

"Of couese I can one you to give! Wait, I mean, give one I can to you!" Pitiful I drop my face in my hands, sure it has gone bright red. "I can give you both one, if you want?"

"Heck yeah!" Nino is grinning when I peak through my fingers. "Dupain-Cheng cookies are the best. _Anything_ made by the Dupain-Chengs are the best."

Slightly less mortified, I manage to uncover my face and fish two cookies out for both, handing one to each of them. I almost drop the one I hand to Adrien, but thankfully I manage to successfully pass it over. Once that's accomplished, I pull one put for myself in celebration. I handed something over to Adrien!

And as I munch on mine, I watch Adrien so intently to see his reaction that I almost let Alya snatch mine away. Thankfully, I catch her in time and swat her hand before it comes too close. She groans, but I'm too distracted by my blond crush to care. While Nino and Alya both stuffed theirs into their mouth, Adrien looks his over with a scrutinizing eye. It actually makes me really nervous. What was I thinking, giving him a cookie? He's so rich, he's probably had dozens of cookies that will taste better than mine. Or what if he's allergic to chocolate? Or something else in the cookie? Does it not look appealing enough to eat? If he doesn't like the cookie I've made, I'm ruined!

But finally, he takes a bite, and his eyes widen as if he's had something very important revealed to him. It's obvious that he likes it from his posture, which is a major relief, but there's something off about his reaction. Why is he looking at me in such realization and disbelief? Did he not expect me to do that well at baking a cookie? If it were anyone else, I'd be insulted, but I'm dismayed by the thought.

However, all concerns fly out the window when Adrien stares directly at me and whispers, "M'lady?"

For a moment, my mind pictures my partner and my crush, side by side. As the realization hits me, I don't do very well with handling it. I faint.

* * *

 **And there we have it! A happy, reveal one-shot that didn't end in death! Are you guys proud of me? What did ypu think of the story? Was it good? Bad? I got it from a prompt generator and molded it to fit Miraculous - as I felt like it could totally fit these two - so I hope it was enjoyable. Plus, it was kind of a Ladynoir story! Normally I don't write those, so I hope you enjoyed that change too. Were you expecting the end reveal? Let me know in a review!**

 **Speaking of reviews, if there are any one-shot prompts, genres (appropriate, of course), or ships you'd like to see, please let me know by shooting one to me! I love ideas, and while I might not do every one that is suggested, I will try. I'd also love any feedback on how I could improve in the future, and please let me know what you liked!**

 **And as I said, this was started for my annoying best friend, so here's my message to him: I hope you liked it and that it was happy and cute enough for you, dork. Still can't believe you hunted my account down. You're the worst. c; But I finally finished this for you, so you better appreciate it.**

 **Anyways, until next time, whether it's another one-shot here or an actual update sinde I'm very behind on those.**

 **~ Dagger**


	3. Keeping My Distance - Lovesquare

Current One-Shot: Keeping My Distance. It wasn't fair. Not to Adrien, Paris, or her. But Marinette found out Chat Noir's secret identity, and now it felt like she didn't know him at all. She couldn't face him, not anymore. All hurt and basically no comfort. Lovesquare and Lukanette contained within

* * *

 **Keeping My Distance**

 **Time for another angsty reveal that goes horribly wrong from yours truly! What can I say? I love the heartbreak. c; Plus I had the idea after reading another reveal and figured it'd give me a break from trying to write the many updates I have on my to do list. xD Woops! Ignore my procrastination and focus on the story, please. c;**

 **Part of my reason for writing this is a sad reveal, but also, I'm going to explore a bit of Adrien bashing. I think a lot of sad or angsty reveals bash Marinette because she's seen as "getting the easy way out," but a lot of her habits Adrin also exhibits, especially with the crush. They just execute them differently. Now, please don't think I hate Chat or Adrien. I adore him, but I want to give him some fair treatment after Marinette gets bashed so heavily. (Especially after reading this story called "My Not-So-Secret Stalker," which was completely unfair to Mari's character.)**

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

It wasn't fair.

Not to me. Not to Adrien. Not to Chat. Not to the citizens of Paris. Not to anyone.

I had tried so hard to make sure it never happened. I had never wanted to know who my partner was behind the mask. I didn't want to have to know how different he was while wearing his mask compared to his civilian self. I knew I was different when I wore mine. I was confident, strong, brave. I was able to command people's attention and respect, and that was exciting. Yet, I knew that Ladybug wasn't a real part of me, even if she technically was. I had no fears of disappointing anyone if they learned who lay behind the red mask, but I did fear losing the freedom of being someone I was not. It was why I was so vigilant, in Chat's case and my own. I did not want to see Chat as anything different than I already did. I did not want to be forced to reconcile two sides of him, to have to know that there was a life behind the mask, a side I didn't see to my partner. I didn't want to deal with the weight that would come with the knowing, the realization that my partner used that freedom to be whoever he wanted the same way I did.

That one wish was brutally destroyed, and I was furious for it. It had been after an attack, after Chat and I had cleansed the akuma and had to rush off to detransform. I had dropped into an alley, quickly calling Tikki out of the earrings and preparing to rush home. My parents didn't know I was out of the house, and Tikki would need cookies, so there wasn't any reason to dawdle. But right as I prepared to step out from behind the crates, Chat Noir dropped down.

I don't know how we ended up in the same alley. I suppose it was bound to happen eventually, but it was such rotten luck and timing. If I had been faster, maybe I wouldn't have had this issue, but there wasn't time to consider that anymore. All there was to think about was the fact that Chat Noir was detransforming before my eyes, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

With a flash of inspiration, I threw my hands over my eyes, determined to avoid learning my partner's identity - especially on accident - at all costs. I'd even turned away from the boy, in case something happened and I could see through my fingers.

" _Cheeese,_ " Whined someone who I could only assume was his kwami. I realized too late what I had failed to prepare for.

All those precautions, and yet they still did nothing to stop me from recognizing the boy when he said, "You'll get your camembert at home, Plagg."

I shoved myself against the wall, trying not to hyperventilate as Tikki looked at me with wide eyes, trying to gauge my reaction. That voice. Oh gosh, why did it have to be that voice? I heard his footsteps as he quickly left, but it still took me a moment to pry myself off the wall.

"Marinette?" Tikki asked delicately, tapping my hand as I peered in the direction he went. "Marinette, are you okay?"

"Chat Noir...is Adrien. Adrien is Chat." I blinked, trying to let it sink in, but it just didn't fit together in my head. "Tikki, my partner who I've never seen as anything other than a great friend is my crush that I have basically been stalking since he started coming to my school. The two of them...they're nothing alike!"

My tiny kwami frowned, obviously not expecting this turn of events. "But of course they are! You've seen Adrien act like Chat before, haven't you?" When I don't respond, she poses the question I have been grappling with myself. "Why is this such a bad thing? Two of the most important guys in your life are the same person!"

"But I don't know anything about him! I thought I did, but now...I don't know if either side of him is what he's really like. What if neither is?" Now panicked, I slid to my knees. "This is why I have never wanted anyone to know mine. This is why I didn't want to know his!

"But Mari-" Tikki cooed.

I didn't let her finish.

"I can't do this. I don't want to know this. Tikki, please, everything is different now. Help me! Do something, please. Make me forget. I can't do this!"

"Calm down! This panic isn't helping anyone. Let's go home, Marinette. Then we can talk about this, after you have time to calm home."

The firm, commanding tone she took left no room for argument. Besides, she had a point. She dove into my bag and we walked in silence back to the bakery. I tried to keep talking to her after I snuck back into the house, but she makes me take a little bit longer to calm down from the shock.

In the end, Tikki heavily protested the conclusion I come to, but I didn't care. It was the only thing to be done. I had to distance myself from Adrien. The... _disgusting_ obsession I had with the model had to stop. I couldn't even bare to look at his pictures as I tore them down, hating myself for how ridiculous I'd been. I'd been so stupid, so ridiculous! How had I missed what was right in front of my eyes?

 _Or more accurately,_ I thought ruefully, _what was sitting right behind me in class._

Alya even told me Adrien looked like Chat, but I said they were nothing alike! As I slammed everything into a trash bag, Tikki whimpered, but I ignored her disapproval and distress at the turn of events that occurred. This was the only way. I had to put distance between myself and Adrien, between Ladybug and Chat Noir. I couldn't handle these duo, conflciting identities he had. I just couldn't. How could I have been so blind? There were so many signs, and I'd missed them all. For goodness's sake, he made the same excuses as me after akuma attacks! They just seemed so different that I had completely brushed the idea aside.

School the next day was miserable. When Adrien came in, he gave me a cheery hello, but his smile slid off when I gave him a rather neautral greeting back and didn't try to keep talking. Apparently he wasn't as oblivious to my normal treatment of him as I thought he was. Alya was shooting me the most startled wide eyes she could manage after that, but she didn't get to ask me anything because Nino got her attention to whisper about it.

But Nino only spared me for a few moments.

* * *

 _"Girl!" Alya hisses, kicking me in the shin to get my attention as Ms. Bustier walks in. "What the heck was that? You're_ never _unhappy to see Adrien."_

 _I shrug. "I dunno, Alya, I guess I just...got over him?"_

 _Oh, it was such a blatant lie. I cringed to even tell it, knowing I was nowhere near over him. He was still as gorgeous and kind as ever, and I hated to do it. And yet I couldn't handle knowing who the boy was behind the mask. I couldn't reconcile identities and I didn't know which to believe was real. I had to stop melting around this boy. I had to steel myself, get over him. The barrier had to be raised._

 _Alya actually snorts at my comment. "There's no way you just 'got over' your giant crush, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Have you_ seen _your room?"_

 _I huff at that. "Everything is gone now. I threw it away."_

 _"Is this a nightmare? Pinch me." Alya looks absolutely dismayed. "What did the boy_ do _to you, Nette? I'll punch him in the face_ right now _."_

 _"Then you'll get a detention."_

 _"A detention is worth supporting my best friend. What did he do to you?" Alya is absolutely seething, and I realize I have to calm her down._

 _Struggling to find something that isn't the truth but also isn't a lie, I finally quietly answer, "I just...am more disillusioned now._ He _didn't do anything."_

 _"There's no way this is happening. You don't get over a major crush like that so fast! You had your life planned out. I was going to be your maid of honor!"_

 _"And you still will be, Alya." I roll my eyes._

 _"But not at an Adrienette wedding! You guys are like my OTP, besides Ladynoir." I cringe. If only she knew. Thankfully, my best friend is on a roll and doesn't even notice, not that she hasn't had fights with me before over 'Ladynoir' as the fans call it. "Are you sure he didn't do anything? How can you just change your mind like that?"_

 _"I dunno," is what I give her in response, accompanied with a shrug and a frown that tells her to back off._

 _Class flies by, and I'm impatient to escape, only for Miss Bustier to give us the last few minutes to do whatever we'd like. Alya shoots me a look, but apparently recognizes I am not in the mood to continue our discussion because she starts chatting with Nino and Adrien. They're laughing and enjoying themselves, but I just find myself watching our resident blond model, trying to see the Chat in him._

 _I can't, although the contemplation does lead me to another realization. The night that Chat wanted to meet as Ladybug, he had a prior commitment. He was supposed to come with the rest of us to go eat André's ice cream, but he ditched to try and land what was basically a date with my alter ego. My heart sinks in my chest as I realize Adrien would rather spend time with the girl in the mask than me._

 _And then he had the nerve to be angry at_ Ladybug _for not showing up? I hadn't even told him I would come!_

 _Of course, I know what Tikki would say. I should be over the moon; after all, I am Ladybug. Ladybug is a part of me. Adrien is, in effect, in love with_ me. _But it's not the main part of me. It's a part where I can be someone I'm not; Ladybug is where I go to have the chance to be calm and collected in the face of danger, self-assured as I save Paris. She isn't the person I want Adrien to have fallen in love with. She isn't the part of me that he knows, the part that I've fought so hard to have become friends with him. He doesn't even know that much about Ladybug, does he?_

 _"Earth to Marinette!" Nino waves a hand in my face, and I blink at him, not realizing they'd been talking to me and face flushing as I realize I must've been caught staring at Adrien. "You okay there, dudette?"_

 _"Ya, sorry. What's up?" Hopefully they'll let me get away without explaining myself._

 _"I was inviting the three of you to my house after school. Will you be joining us?" Adrien smiles at me, obviously excited._

 _No. No, as excited as I would have been about this a day ago, I have to remember what I resolved to do. I can't be close to Adrien, not now that there are so many identities at play. "Well, I don't th-"_

 _"She'll be there!" I scowl as Alya butts in, smiling deviously at me. Did she forget everything I said already?_

 _"Great!" Adrien looks so pleased, and I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart. Because that face, that_ face _, it's such a Chat face and seeing it on Adrien's face feels so_ wrong _. How can I reconcile these two sides of him? I can't, and it hurts. It's not fair! "I'm just glad my dad let me invite you guys over. It'll be super fun."_

 _Nino slaps him on the back and loudly proclaims his agreement, but I get a funny look from Alya as I nervously chuckle. Fun isn't the word I was thinking of._

* * *

And of course, life decided to continue to be unfair. We went to Adrien's house, and everything was fine. I was awkward, especially when he opted to have me be on his team during an eventually unfinished game of Monopoly. We cremed Nino and Alya, but that didn't make it any less weird to be on a team with him outside of our suits. At one point, my eyes caught on the lucky charm I gave him hanging around his wrist, and I had to look away because it also made my heart hurt. The charm he gave me for my birthday seemed to grow even heavier in my pocket. It was hard, but I was doing well.

Till Adrien asked me to put Monopoly away in his closet and grab Apples to Apples, that is.

* * *

 _"Hey Mari," I have to stop myself from flinching when Adrien says my name, "Would you mind sticking this in the closet and grabbing Apples to Apples?"_

 _I grab the box from his outstretched hand, careful not to accidentally touch his fingers. "Sure." I offer a smile, but I think it must look more like a grimace based on his confused expression. "Anywhere specific?"_

 _He shakes his head. "Anywhere amongst the game boxes is fine."_

 _Nodding and gripping the box tighter, I turn and head over to the closet. As I open it to put the box in, I end up dropping it instead, eyes wide at the sight before me. It's what I can only describe as a Ladybug shrine, with every piece of merchandise for my alter ego ever piled high within. I stumble backwards, mortified. This...this is even worse than what I did over Adrien! And to make matters worse, Chat actually_ knows _me. At least Adrien and I weren't very close friends, and I toned it down as we got closer, but this? He was always my partner; we_ always _had to be close so we could fight together._

 _Why would he think this was okay?_

 _"Girl, are you okay?" Alya reaches my side, grabbing one of my arms to stabalize me while Nino rushes up on my other side._

 _"Ah, sorry about that..." Adrien nervously scratches the back of his neck. "I forgot about the mess in there. I was reorganizing and deciding what should be in my room and what should stay in there and...well...you obviously can see I forgot to finish."_

 _I try to compose myself for a minute. I'm okay, right? This is okay. I can handle this._

 _"I think I'm going to be sick." I shake Alya and Nino off as I stumble towards the door. "I-I'm going home. I'm sorry. You guys go on and have fun without me."_

 _"Marine-" Alya begins._

 _"Bye!" My voice squeaks at the end as I hurry away, fighting to keep my lunch down._

 _I hear Nino's voice echo into the hall as I make my way to the front door. "Babe, let her go. She'll be okay. Let's chill out here and you can text her to check in on her later, okay?"_

* * *

Alya had called me later to make sure everything was alright. I played it off as no big deal, especially when I heard Nino and Adrien in the background. She hadn't left Adrien's yet, so there was no way I would risk saying anything that might give away what made me feel so sick. Instead, I just told her I still didn't feel great, but that it didn't seem too bad.

But when I woke up the next morning, I found myself crying. Tikki tried her best to calm me down, but I just couldn't handle the idea of having to face Adrien after seeing his closet. Just the thought made me cringe. It was disgusting and disturbing, and made me realize just how bad I had it.

At least mine was never as bad as his.

When my mom came in and saw the state I was in, she said I should stay home. Granted, she also found out I wasn't feeling well - I didn't tell her why - but it was a relief nonetheless. I got more time before having to face Adrien, and that was what I needed right then. I had the sense of mind to tell Alya I was staying home sick before she spammed me, which meant I got to sleep peacefully.

But when I woke up in the afternoon and grabbed a late lunch from the bakery, Tikki reminded me in my room of something I really didn't want to do. "You have patrol tonight, Marinette. Don't forget."

"Can I skip it, Tikki? Please?"

"This is important, Marinette. You have a responsibility to the city. Surely that's bigger than you wanting to avoid Adrien?"

I hated that Tikki was always right. With a huff, I accepted that I'd have to face Adrien today after all. Except it wouldn't actually be Adrien, which complicated things even further. I didn't even know the real Adrien Agreste. That probably hurt the most, especially when I still found myself undeniably attracted to my...classmate. Calling him anything else felt strange. Besides, there wasn't really a word to descrive what he was.

Before I called up my transformation, I was struck with inspiration. After the whole Captain Hardrock incident, Juleka, Luka, and I had all hung out at their house. Later, Juleka told me her brother had gushed about me for a while after, and she had wiggled her eyebrows when suggesting I get his phone number from her. Not only that, but Luka had seemed rather nervous that day, and I'd caught him glancing at me multiple times when he thought I wasn't looking.

All the signs said Luka was interested in me, and there was no denying that he also had the ability to make my heart flutter. And, while I didn't want to use him as a rebound, focusing my attention on another guy would be a good way to break away from Adrien. It would also get Alya off my case.

Juleka responded almost immediately, sending a winky face along with the number. This whole situation brought a whole new side of her to light, and it was entertaining, despite the fact that I'd now have to deal with Juleka's teasing. That was something I never thought I'd face.

After shooting Luka a quick text saying hi and informing him it was me, as well as saying Juleka gave me his number, I finally called up my transformation and went to meet Chat.

* * *

 _"M'lady!" Chat's nickname is like a punch to the gut as I land on the Eiffel Tower next to him. He beams at me, leaning forward. "I was beginning to wonder if you stood me up. How are you, bugaboo?"_

 _I have to force myself not to snap at him, instead just stating as neutrally as possible, "I'm fine, Chaton." My old nickname for him comes out unbidden, burning my tongue as it does._

 _He frowns, shaking his head. "No, you're not. What's wrong? You can tell me."_

 _I shake my head right back, grateful I've been so firm in keeping our personal lives apart from our superhero identities. "Let's just get this over with."_

 _"Okay, m'lady." Chat basically whispers the words, ears drooping and eyes downcast._

 _I sigh, not giving him a reply in fear of giving away what has happened. Instead I take off, and he follows after my lead, lagging a bit behind and obviously sulking. I go faster than usual, barely landing on a rooftop before leaping towards another one. I end up in a constant rhytm, and it's comforting. Distracting even. I lose myself in it, not paying attention to anything else._

 _"Ladybug?" The sudden question throws me off, and I slip, almost sliding off the roof till Chat Noir grabs my arm. I look up at him, eyes wide, as he asks, "Have I done something wrong?" I look down at his hand, tugging my arm free, and he says in obvious frustration, "You won't even look me in the eyes. We're partners! We're supposed to trust each other. What did I do, Bugaboo?"_

 _That's the last straw. I shove him away, angry that he's still using that silly nickname. Or, maybe it's all pent up rage at how he loves this side of me that_ isn't me _so devotedly whenever the real side of me has been right underneath his nose the entire time. Either way, I hurry off before he can say anything, furious at myself and at him._

 _I can't do this._

 _I can't face him. I can't look at him and see the same faces I've seen on Adrien. I can't handle that._

 _It hurts so much to land on my balcony and detransform, desperately trying to ignore Tikki's frowning expression._

* * *

Luka had texted back by the time I returned from patrol. I texted him a bit before saying goodnight and heading to bed, ignoring another frown from Tikki. Even if it didn't feel the same as it did with Adrien, this was new and exciting, and Luka definitely gave me butterflies.

But that didn't fix my dynamic with Chat or Adrien. Those had only gotten more awkward. I straight up ran away from him at school, only speaking to him when I absolutely had to. Even then, I tried to find ways around it, and Chloe definitely made that easier, since she didn't want to share him anyways. Sadly, I couldn't solve my Chat problem by just avoiding him. We were partners, and we needed each other so that we could fight akumas. It was tense, and our movements were nowhere near as fluid and in sync as they once were. I knew he was desperate to ask what the heck had happened; I didn't blame him. But I made sure he didn't have the chance, avoiding actually having to talk with him afterwards by hurrying off and using the excuse of my earrings. Patrol was a bit harder to navigate; I ended up just saying it would be easier for us to be more efficient if we alternated nights instead of both patrolling together.

He was furious. I couldn't blame him. It wasn't fair to him, but this burden of knowing wasn't fair to me. His adoration for my supersuit's identity wasn't fair either. What was I supposed to do there?

He tried to call me a few times. I ignored the calls and listened to his voice mails as detached from emotion as possible. It still hurt to do. Chat Noir was my partner, at one point even my friend, and he had to be hurting to have that suddenly ripped away from him. But I couldn't do it. I just couldn't.

Luka and I continued to text, and even called a few times. After hanging out at his house with Juleka again, he finally had the courage to ask me out. It still didn't feel the same as I'd dreamed, but that was because the dreams had been Adrien exclusive. I wanted things to work with Luka, so I went with him. He didn't disappoint. We ate dinner and went for a walk, and he asked me if we could do it again soon.

I readily agreed.

Alya was still disappointed. She so desperately wanted 'Adrienette' to become 'canon,' whatever that meant, and still tried to advocate for it. But once Luka officially asked me to be his girlfriend, she dropped the subject, and supported my new relationship. I still found myself dwelling from time to time on Adrien and Chat, but it was easier to forget in the beautiful chaos that was Luka. He brought out a side of me that I hadn't even known was there, and was exactly what I needed.

I couldn't have asked for a better guy, and I really did care about him. I'd feared he would just be a rebound, but he wasn't; he was more than that. Sure, he and Adrien were different. The pounding in my heart was different for Luka than it was for the blond, but that wasn't bad. It was good, actually. Refreshing.

When he finally kissed me, I didn't ever want to let him go.

Chat and I only proceeded to grow more frigid as my relationship with Luka grew. I managed to separate myself, and he finally gave up trying to talk to me. He didn't know who it was or anything about it, but somehow he'd picked up on the fact that I had someone in my life. He gave me the space I fought so hard for, and even though I wanted it, it still hurt to see him give up fighting for us. This wasn't fair to him, or me, or anyone, but life wasn't fair. It was the way the cards had fallen. But how downcast he was was so odd. He was aloof, at times even cold. He only referred to me as Ladybug, if he even spoke to me at all, and I returned the favor by using his full name. There were no more puns and the flirting stopped, and one day, Chat didn't even bother to show up for an akuma fight. We hadn't had one since, but it worried me nonetheless. What if he stopped coming because of me?

Tikki didn't say anything, but she pursed her lips and mainly seemed disappointed in me. She didn't say anything on the matter, but some of that natural happiness had disappeared from her voice. She was oddly quiet, and it made things awkward.

Adrien was no better. Some days he didn't even show up to school, and when he did, he always looked sleep-deprived and sad. He never was cold to anyone, but he was very distant. Nino was hurt over it, but eventually he and Alya began to accept he wasn't going to bounce back to normal. Something different had happened, yet I was the only one who knew what that event actually was.

One time, he'd even found me on patrol as Adrien. I don't know what he intended to do, or say, because I ran away before he could reach me. I was terrified to face him. I couldn't bare to find out the damage I caused him with both of my identities, and I was even more scared of slipping up and giving away that I knew his identity if he wasn't wearing the mask.

That had all culminated into the situation I was currently stuck in. None of it was fair, none of it at all, but I started to realize just how big of an effect my actions had had on the blond when he landed on my rooftop balcony beside me.

"Marineeeette," He practically sings my name as he lands on my railing. " _Purr_ incess, how are you on this lovely night?"

I stare at him, eyes wide and slack-jawed at the sight of him. One thing is obvious: he's been akumatized. Gone is his black suit, instead traded in for a pure white one. His bell is silver now, like his baton, and his teeth are jagged, more like fangs. But most jarring is his eyes. His beautiful, green eyes are now pink and glowing dangerously as he slides off the railing and stalks towards me.

"Chat Noir?" I ask, trying to carefully shuffle backwards towards the door so I can get into my room.

"The name is Chat Blanc now, cutie." He winks, and I freeze, face flushing red.

"What happened to you?"

He shrugs. "I became more powerful."

I sputter, shaking my head. "But why? Why did this happen? What caused this?" Was it really that bad for him?

I take another careful step towards the door, and then another, before whipping around and diving for it. I don't actually reach it, instead getting yanked back by an arm that slid around my waist. Terrified, I look up towards my captor.

Chat Blanc grins back at me, and lightly tsks as he ignores my question in favor of saying, "Now where do you think you're going?"

I throw my hands up in front of my face in the best defense I can muster, because I can't summon Tikki here. "Please don't hurt me!"

Chat chuckles, running a thumb over my cheek, and I instinctively flicnh away, earning a wider smirk. "Don't worry, Marinette. I'm not going to hurt you. I have no reason to... _my lady_." My breath stops, and I can only stare in horror at this akuma who was once my silly kitty. Oh gosh, what have I done? The white cat shakes his head and tsks again. "Scared, Bugaboo?"

The teasing and grinning, the cute nicknames, they all feel so _wrong_ coming from his mouth now. I'm so startled, so unsure of how to react, that I don't think to move. All I can do is stare, and I realize too late what Chat Blanc is doing as he snatches my earrings from my ears.

"Chat, no!" I kick into action, trying to snatch them away, but he pushes me down, putting a finger to my lips.

"Sh, Princess, don't worry. I'm not going to give them to Hawkmoth." He winks as he slips my Miraculous into his pocket. "I killed him."

Tears pricking at my eyes, I manage to whimper, "Killed him?"

He nods, disturbing me even further. "Yes. He was my father, Marinette. All along, you were right, but I never would have accepted it without this _experience_ to enlighten me. And yes, I know all about you knowing my identity. Don't pretend it's a shock."

"I'm so sorry, Chat." I whimper, so afraid he's going to hurt me for how I hurt him.

He frowns, shaking his head. "Your apology is sweet but unnecessary. I'm not angry with you, not anymore. I realize you were scared, that I came on too strong, but it's alright. I still love you. I will make things right."

I don't even try to deny his statements about me not caring for him, instead just asking, "Why are you still akumatized if you...killed your da-Hawkmoth?" We both know what my other, unspoken question is. Why is he still akumatized if he's not angry with me?"

"Just because Hawkmoth has fallen doesn't mean the akuma goes away. After all, my father akumatized himself with an akuma. Besides, I control the Butterfly Miraculous now. So I get to stay like this, and this is the best form of myself."

"No, no, Kitty...Oh gosh, what have I done?"

"Oh, don't cry. I never could have become this without you. Don't you love it?"

"I-" I'm afraid to say no, but this isn't him.

He shakes his head. "Don't worry, my precious bug. You'll grow to love it."

"I have a boyfriend, Chat." Desperately I scramble for something to stop him.

"Luka? Oh, you don't need to worry about him anymore." His eyes darken, and for a minute I fear the worst, horrified. "No, Princess, I didn't kill him. Have a bit more faith." He smirks, suddenly scooping me up bridal style. "But I'm not going to let you out of my sight again. I lost you once, but now? Now I'll make sure that never happens again."

"Chat Blanc, what are you going to do?" I use his akumatized names in hopes of separating him in my mind from both my Chat - if I can even call him that anymore - and Adrien. I can't think of this akuma as the same as them, or I'll never be able to fight.

As I say the words, I let one hand creep towards the pocket he stuck my earrings in, but he swats it away. "Those aren't yours anymore." He warns, and though he says it teasingly, his eyes narrow threateningly. Then he grins again, answering my question. "Why, you'll be staying with me now. I thought that would be obvious."

I stare, sputtering. "N-no! Adrien, this isn't right!" It's the first time in months that I've actually said his civilian name. "I-I don't love you!"

"You will." His voice is harsh again, a stark contrast from the adoring look in his eyes. "You are Ladybug, and you are Marinette. I love both sides of you, even if you don't love either side of me. But you will. You'll have to. After all, you won't be seeing anyone else."

"You can't just keep me locked up!" I protest, trying to smack his chest. Sure, we're on the rooftops, but I'd rather be dropped before we reach his house. Once we're there, I will be at even more of a disadvantage.

He blinks innocently. "Can't I?" He sounds too smug and sweet, distressing and angering me even further. I don't know whether I want to punch him or break down in tears.

"Please, Chat." I whimper, voice cracking as I tug at his chest. "This isn't right. Where's your akuma? I can destroy it, and if you give me the earrings, I can purify it too. Please, we can make things right."

"No. This _is_ right. This is me, Marinette."

"But it's not." My heart breaks when I hear it. "Kitty, I-I did love you. I think I loved both sides of you, even if I thought I didn't love Chat. But when I found out who you were, I couldn't...I wasn't able to reconcile both sides. I didn't know if I even knew the real you, and so I pushed you away. That was wrong and I'm sorry. Please, please, just let me make this right!"

He doesn't answer, instead gracefully landing outside his house and pushing the door open. "Welcome home, Princess."

I roll out of his arms, rushing up the stairs to try and find some way out. I have to get out of here. I can't stay here with him, not like this. I have to fix things, but I can't do that in here. How am I supposed to fix things without Tikki? How do I fix the mess I've made? This is all my fault. What I did wasn't fair; it was selfish, but I've realized that too late. So how am I supposed to fix things now?

"You can run, but you can't hide." Again, Chat Blanc's teasing voice rings out, and I glance back to make sure he's not right behind me only to collide right into him. "Found you." He leans down, whispering the words into my ear. "Don't worry, I'm a gentleman, but this is for the sake of safety."

I don't realize what he's doing till it's too late, and I feel the cool metal of the handcuffs against my wrists. I whimper, wanting to sink to my knees, but Chat picks me up again before I can.

"So defeated already?" He tilts his head, staring at me for a moment before placing a kiss on my forehead. "Don't worry, my lovely lady. You'll grow to love this, to love me."

"Not like this, Kitty.""Then I'll do whatever it takes. You _will_ love me, Marinette. I will do whatever it takes to accomplish that. I will take any Miraculou and kill any person it takes. Do I need to take Luka out?"

"No!" I shake my head furiously. "Please, don't hurt him."

He sneers, pushing a door open into a bedroom I can only assume must have been his mother's at one time. "He's pathetic. But don't worry, you'll soon forget all about him. He'll be nothing but a distant memory." He sets me on the dark blue bed, and I realize now that it has no windows. Perhaps this wasn't Mrs. Agreste's room after all, or perhaps she was a very strange person. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not a monster, Marinette. You'll see that eventually. Go on and take a nap, I'll be back later with dinner. There must be a lot you want to think through on your own." As he leaves and shuts the door, he adds a casual, "I love you," and then shuts it.

Even though I know it won't work, I manage to wiggle onto my feet and hurry over to the door, trying to knob. There's no lock on the inside - who builds a door like that? - and when I push, nothing happens. Just as I thought: he locked it. Sighing, I retreat back to the bed, staring at my cuffed hands in despair.

"I did love you," I whisper, wishing I could tell him that in a way that would get through to him, "but I was too afraid to admit it. I was afraid of you being complex and more than the boy on a pedestal in my mind, and you suffered because of it. I'm so, so sorry, Kitty."

I lay down on the bed, and it is only now that the tears are fully released.

* * *

 **What do you guys think? Was it good? Bad? This is probably the longest one-shot I've written in this fandom, so I hope it was at least enjoyable. Leave a review letting me know your thoughts so I can know for next time what works and doesn't work. c:**

 **Also, let me know if you have any prompts/ships/concepts you want to see me write about next time! I'm always looking for new one-shot ideas. :p And I promise I'll respond to your reviews the next time I add a one-shot here! I just can't right now.**

 **See you the next time I update!**

 **~ Dagger**


	4. Day One - Alyadrien

Current One-Shot: Day One. Alya Cesaire knew it was a betrayal. A betrayal to Marinette, to Nino, to herself. But despite her best efforts, Adrien isn't going anywhere, and Alya knows she can't keep ignoring her heart for long. Very late response to Alyadrien Appreciation week.

* * *

 **Day One - Alyadrien**

 **I just stumbled across the Miraculous Ship Fleet tumblr, and of course I got sidetracked with a new story idea because of it. XD I was initially going to just do one-shots for each, but I was able to come up with a way to make them kind of flow, so this will be my side project for a bit! And by side project I mean I'm going to periodically put the next part to it within these one-shots since each can technically be read alone.**

 **The prompt this one follows: compliments.**

 **Also, I realize now from rereading my last one-shot in this collection that it does come across as Marinette bashing, as many of you pointed out. So I'm going to take another shot at one calling Adrien out for some of his flaws soon, but right now, Alyadrien is going to get a turn.**

* * *

 _Alya's Point of View_

* * *

I'm an awful friend.

I stare at the phone sitting in my lap. Once again, I finally managed to write everything out. I worked so hard, poured all of my feelings into this message, and yet now all I can do is stare. Like always, I'm stuck with my finger hovering above the send button, unable to push and go through with it. Nino's contact picture stares back at me, so relaxed and cheerful and so gosh darn _happy_ , causing me to cringe. With a loud groan I hit delete, effectively destroying my latest attempt to break up with him.

I drop my phone beside me and bury my face in my hands. What sort of cruel person am I, stringing Nino along like this? He's an amazing guy, and a great friend. He supports and encourages me; it's obvious that he really cares about me. I love him a lot.

But now the same way he loves me. Try as I might, all I can muster up is platonic feelings for him. For a while, I thought that if I pretended long enough, I eventually _would_ grow to love him. But I've been sticking it out. I've been trying so hard to feel the same way that he feels. I've done everything I can to try and reciprocate his feelings. But I don't, and now I find myself feeling sicker and sicker from the guilt. We're like pieces of a puzzle, belonging to the same picture but not meant to be connected to each other. Being forced to try and connect even though we're to exist on opposite sides of the picture.

In the end, I've just been using Nino. I've ignored it for so long, trying to pretend that I wasn't _really_ , because he was my friend and I didn't want to upset him and surely, deep down, I loved him back after our experience at the zoo. It was obvious, wasn't it? All of our class talked about how we had chemistry anyways, so maybe I was just blindsided and needed to have my eyes opened, right? But now I've been forced to come face to face with the cold hard truth.

I've been using Nino Lahiffe, using him to hide from my own feelings. The longer I try to hide like this, the worse it'll be when I'm eventually found out, and yet I can't help it. I can't figure out how to stop. If I don't hide behind Nino, I'll have to face my feelings, and I can't do it. I can't, because I'm an absolute coward and I can't handle them.

Not whenever I know how much they will devastate everyone.

How am I supposed to tell my boyfriend that I'm actually interested in his best friend? How can I tell my best friend that no, I don't want her to go out on a limb and ask her crush out on a date, because _I_ selfishly want to be the one going out with him? How could I possibly confess to my friend that I loved him? How can I dare to be the one that ruins everything good within our friend group? How can I allow myself to be in love with Adrien? How can I do that to everyone?

Burying my face further into my hands, I let out a low-pitched whine of frustration. I'm in love with Adrien Agreste. Oh _gosh_ , I love Adrien Agreste. I'm horribly in love with Adrien _freaking_ Agreste, of all people.

I'm so screwed.

Moaning, I flop backwards onto my bed, arms flung out to either side of me. What's a girl supposed to do? The stupid blonde model just _had_ to be a walking saint. I had always prided myself on being so different from other girls, and I thought that I proved that by not falling head over heels for Adrien when he waltzed into the classroom. Sure, I gushed about him with everyone else, because a girl has _got_ to gush about a cute boy when he starts coming to school. Still, I didn't start drooling at the sight of him. No, I wasn't immediately smitten like everyone else.

Marinette? She fell in love fast. The moment Adrien apologized, it hit her full speed, and even bringing up that particular memory in conversation gets her acting like a complete love-struck doofus.

But me? I didn't have a lightning strike to suddenly inform me that I was in love. There's no moment that I "officially" fell in love with him. Sure, we hung out sometimes thanks to our mutual friend, Nino, and we talked because of my antics to try and set him up with Marinette, but there isn't a moment that I can officially say was when I fell in love with him. It was all the little things that added up over time, culminating into a result that I never would have seen coming, till one day I was slapped in the face with the cold hard truth: I'm in love with Adrien Agreste.

I learned that, despite his obvious naivety, there is quite the mischevious side to him. He loves making puns, but only ever really makes them if he's feeling confident. When you get him to laugh, the grin that takes his face is so much more precious than any model smile he can try and give the camera. He hates giving autographs, but doesn't hate people for asking for them. Even though his father is practically never present in his life except to treat him as a possession and to lay rules down, Adrien still loves him. In class, when he's thinking really hard, he makes an adorable face of concentration. And he has the most compelling puppy dog eyes anyone could ever have; honestly, it's not even _fair_ that someone has that power.

I'm crazy for even daring to _think_ about getting involved in the tangled mess that is Adrien's love life, and yet here I am, stuck in the middle of it all.

My phone buzzes beside me, and I have a quick debate with myself over whether or not I should even check it. Even though I really want to continue to wallow in self-pity, I can't just mope around forever. So, with a resigned huff, I blindly grope around for my phone before sitting up to see who has decided to disturb me from my wallowing. The offender only makes matters worse, because the message blinking back at me in an almost taunting fashion is from Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Because of course it is. She's my best friend; obviously she's going to text me.

But did it have to be now?

 **Mari: ALYA**

 **Mari: HELP**

I swipe to the left on her message so I can respond, forcing myself to put on a smile and my best peppy attitude. Marinette is sweet, and it's not like _she_ knows that she's unintentionally hurting me. That's why it's unintentional. Besides, she's the best friend a girl could ask for, and she deserves all the support and love I can give her. Even if it kills me to do so.

 **Momma Alya: girl calm down**

 **Momma Alya: whats up?**

 **Mari: IDK WHAT TO WEAR TONIGHT**

 **Momma Alya: ?**

 **Momma Alya: how about what u usually wear?**

 **Mari: DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE DOING THAT**

 **Momma Alya: geez**

 **Momma Alya: whats with the capslock**

 **Momma Alya: it hurts my eyes**

 **Mari: THIS IS SERIOUS ALTA**

 **Mari: *ALTA**

 **Mari: **ALYA!**

I shake my head, stifling a snicker as if she'll somehow be able to hear me if I actually giggle. Leave it to Marinette to make me laugh even when I'm at my lowest. Sadly, that thought shoves me right back into my pit of depression as I realize how that makes my feelings for Adrien even more of a betrayal to her.

I just can't do anything right, can I?

 **Momma Alya: why not ur usual outfit?**

 **Mari: BECAUSE**

I wait for the rest of her response, but after a full minute, decide that it'll be forever unless I prompt her for it.

 **Momma Alya: because?**

 **Mari: It's a fancy restaurant**

I raise an eyebrow. Does she actually think I'm going to buy that? Of course she doesn't, but she probably thinks it's worth a start. Right as I'm typing up a response to call her out on it, she sends the second half.

 **Mari: ...and I wanna impress Adrien.**

Of course she does. It's the expected reason; I was literally trying to prompt her to admit that part of it. So why does my throat constrict upon reading it? Why does my heart hurt so much? I cringe, ignoring those feelings as I try to help her anyways.

I'm her best friend. I have to support her.

 **Momma Alya: got an outfit in mind?**

 **Momma Alya: ur closet is too big**

 **Momma Alya: so i cant just suggest one**

 **Momma Alya: i gotta have something to work with**

 **Mari: Calm down, calm down**

 **Mari: I'm taking a pic right now**

 **Mari: Okay, so I was thinking about this one. Thoughts?**

Accompanying her last text is a picture of her in an adorable dress with thick straps and no sleeves. The top part is simple and black. I don't know much about fashion, but I at least have the sense to know it's not meant to be the focal point of the outfit. The bottom of the dress, however, looks more like a high-waisted skirt. It's red with small, black dots, and there is some sort of black underskirt that I guess might be made out of lace or something similar.

It's gorgeous, just like everything Marinette owns, - or makes, as I can't rule out that she might have made it - and the Ladybug theme makes it even prettier in my eyes. Adrien will love it, especially because of that. He adores Ladybug, although something tells me that's not why Marinette chose this outfit. She's seemed rather blissfully ignorant to her crush's crush on Ladybug.

Just like she's completely and totally unaware of her best friend's crush on her crush.

I distract myself by examining the rest of her outfit, smiling in spite of myself with how proud she looks, even if it's tinged with some nerves. She's obviously feeling confident, since she's wearing black heels. Even Marinette jokes about her notorious clumsiness - more often than not at her own expense - which normally means heels are out of the question for her. Honestly, her clumsiness was the main reason I crossed her out as a potential candidate for Ladybug's secret identity. There's no way Marinette could pull off the stunts that the red heroine can.

Still, the fact that she's trusting herself to wear heels, especially around Adrien, is a big deal.

The other clue to her confidence - and probably another reason she's nervous to pick this choice for tonight - is the fact that she has her hair down. I always find myself raving to her about how pretty it is in _and_ out of pigtails. We've had plenty of arguments - all in good fun, of course - where I have done my darndest to try and get her to wear it down just once to school, but she always chickens out at the last minute. I guess something about changing her style up for one day freaks her out, not that I blame her. The simple, black beret resting on her head and the red scarf wrapped around her neck seal the deal. This is definitely the one she should wear if she's wanting to catch Adrien's attention.

 **Momma Alya: u look beautiful girl**

 **Momma Alya: adrien wont be able 2 take his eyes off u**

 **Mari: You really think so?**

 **Momma Alya: of course**

 **Momma Alya: definitely wear that tonight**

 **Momma Alya: ur momma alya may not know fashion**

 **Momma Alya: but she knows cute (;**

I squeeze my eyes shut. I don't understand how I manage to pretend like I'm so happy for her in these moments. This whole mess would be so much easier if Marinette weren't such a _Marinette_. I wouldn't care that I was in love with her crush if she were an awful person like Chloe. But no, just like Adrien, Marinette has to be a perfect saint. And a perfect best friend.

That's probably why they're so well-suited for each other. The ache in my chest worsens. But I force myself to power through it, gritting my teeth in spite of the pain. They're my friends, and I'll support them.

Even if it means destroying myself in the process.

Because they mean everything to me, and I would break my heart in a heartbeat to spare theirs. I want to see them smile. To see them happy. To hear them laugh. To watch them fall in love and have a happily ever after.

I never believed in soulmates as a kid, but seeing Marinette and Adrien, my beliefs have changed. They're like two parts of the same soul, fighting to find each other because they're destined to be. Especially now that Marinette is actually starting to get articulate sentences out around him.

But if that's the case, where does that leave _me_ in this mess called love? Where is _my_ soulmate? Being with Adrien feels so right; everything _about_ him feels so right. But if he's Marinette's soulmate, he can't be mine, can he? And if somehow he is, where do I fit in? Does that mean I don't have a soulmate that is matched to me?

Why do I have to be the one with a one-sided love?

It's hard, grinning and baring it as I litter my friends with compliments to cover up my own pain. It's like I seem to think that if I support them enough, perhaps it will eventually stitch the hole up in my heart. Perhaps, with enough time, I can change how I feel. Rework destiny. Alter fate. Align the stars. Of course, deep down I know I'm setting myself up for failure with this false hope, but right now it's all I have. And so I cling to it, because if I don't, I'll have no tether to any sort of happiness.

Opening my eyes, I realize there's another text from Marinette. Taking a deep breath and gathering what remains of my moral, I swipe to read it.

 **Mari: Aw thanks (:**

 **Mari: What are you going to wear?**

 **Momma Alya: u mean i cant just wear my usual?**

We both know I'm just messing around. It's a fancy restaurant, and even if I suggested that Marinette wear her usual outfit before, we were both going to be wearing dresses in the end. This is a fancy dinner and we both want to look our best, especially since both of us have a guy that we're interested in coming.

Even if it's the same guy and only one of us realizes it.

 **Mari: ALYA**

 **Momma Alya: eh its not fancy**

 **Momma Alya: just a dress**

I glance at the dress hanging on my closet door. It's short, shorter than Marinette's. While hers ends at her knees, maybe the tiniest smidge above, mine ends a good few inches up. Despite all her fashion knowledge, Marinette would never be caught dead wearing a dress this short. I always tease her about it, but she did help me pick this one, so I'll give her a bit of a break tonight.

The top of the dress is white, fading into a yellow and then orange, barely even shifting to red before the dress ends. It reminds me a lot of a sunset, or fire, or anything warm really. Ironic, since it's pretty cool outside right now. Cold enough that I need my white sweater jacket, which thankfully looks nice in this outfit combination. On the ground, sitting right in front of the closet door, are my white heels, shorter than the ones Mari seemed to be wearing since I have a height advantage on her.

 **Mari: Let me see!**

 **Momma Alya: nah u can see it later**

 **Mari: Are you kidding me?**

 **Mari: Send me a picture?**

 **Momma Alya: girl calm down**

 **Momma Alya: honestly its not that exciting**

 **Momma Alya: like i said**

 **Momma Alya: its just a dress**

 **Mari: Oh come on, aren't you going to take this excuse to dress up for Nino? (;**

Oh poor, sweet, naive Marinette. Bless the poor girl's heart. She's a great friend, but she's absolutely hopeless when it comes to picking up on clues and piecing things together. Such an adorably oblivious idiot. She has completely missed the cracks in my relationship with Nino, though since even Nino doesn't seem to realize they're there, so I guess they aren't _that_ obvious.

Still, you'd think your best friend would notice this sort of thing, even if I'm glad she doesn't.

My phone buzzes again, and I resist the urge to chuck it across the room. I love Marinette, I really do, but I didn't respond because I'd rather not continue the conversation. What more is there to even say on the subject? She's tormenting me and I can't even be upset with her for it because it's not her fault.

Stupid kindness. Can't she be a jerk just once, so that I don't feel so bad?

Groaning, I force myself to check the message. As I swipe to respond without bothering to actually _read_ what it says, I realize too late that it _isn't_ from my bluenette bestie. No, of course it has to be stupid Adrien with his stupidly cute profile picture. I let myself briefly entertain the idea of just ignoring it, but I have read receipts turned on. Adrien will know I read it, which means I can't pretend that I didn't.

Curse the read receipts! Marinette was right; one day turning them on would come back to bite me. I should've taken her advice and turned them off before it came to this.

Sadly, now it's too late, so I decide to embrace my horrible fate.

 **A-ADork: Hey Alya! It's me, Adrien.**

 **Momma Alya: i know dork**

 **Momma Alya: u and i texted before**

His responses always take a bit longer than other people's. Sure, he and Marinette both have the habit of capitalizing and using punctuation, but Marinette has it down to an art. Her fingers fly across the keyboard. Adrien though? He seriously takes forever. It's super stupid...

In a totally endearing way.

 **A-ADork: Haha! Ya, I guess we have.**

 **A-ADork: Sorry, it's just a habit.**

 **Momma Alya: u type like an old man**

 **Momma Alya: should make your contact name that**

 **Momma Alya: "old man agreste"**

I chuckle, actually considering the option. Ultimately I decide against it, because his dork side is way more common than his old man side, but it's still a fun thought. Besides, I can remember it as a threat for the future, though with my luck, Adrien would be amused if I did.

 **A-ADork: Hey, just because you can't be bothered to text properly doesn't mean you can call me names.**

 **Momma Alya: youre sooo slooow**

 **Momma Alya: my way is so much faster**

 **A-ADork: I don't care, my way looks better!**

 **Momma Alya: faster to say idc**

 **A-ADork: ew**

 **Momma Alya: calm down**

 **Momma Alya: i dont even use all the shortcuts Nino does**

 **A-ADork: I know, he's even worse than you. :p**

 **Momma Alya: wow thanks -.-**

 **Momma Alya: whyd u text me anyways**

In all the teasing I nearly forget that Adrien had instigated the texting. Even though I wish we texted just for the sake of texting each other, neither of us ever texts the other unless there's a reason. So what is it this time? I can't think of anything Adrien would need from me, unless he's hoping to hear about some new Ladybug photos, or asking for any of the ones I don't end up using on the Ladyblog. Still, we're going to see each other at dinner tonight. So what's so important that it can't wait till then?

 **A-ADork: Your boyfriend is running behind.**

 **Momma Alya: nino?**

 **Momma Alya: running behind?**

 **Momma Alya: no way**

 **A-ADork: I know, shocker, right? XD**

I snicker to myself, hoping my parents don't hear me and think I'm crazy. Nino, for all his complaints about Marinette showing up late to school, is quite the slowpoke himself. There are plenty of times he's kept us waiting. Such a hypocrite.

 **A-ADork: Anyways**

 **A-ADork: He told me he should see if you'd be alright with getting picked up first.**

 **A-ADork: He said if I pick up you and Marinette first, then we can come back for him on the way to the restaurant.**

 **Momma Alya: do u have mari yet?**

 **A-ADork: No, not yet.**

 **A-ADork: You're closer to Nino's house.**

 **A-ADork: It's easier to pick you up next, but I can get Marinette first if that's easier for you.**

Of course he has to be all sweet and say that. He's told me what's easier for him, but then says he'll do something else if that's not easy for me. Again, things would be so much easier if he weren't so nice. He and Marinette should both just start acting like jerks. Then this wouldn't be a problem.

What do I say? I don't know if I can handle being in a car - well, limousine - alone with Adrien. I mean, sure, _technically_ we won't be alone; the Gorilla will be there, because of course he is. He basically never leaves Adrien's side. Still, he never bothers to speak a word, so it's practically the same thing as being alone. Can I handle that? My feelings are going to end up going absolutely haywire.

Still, I don't want to make things any harder for him.

 **A-ADork: Alya?**

 **A-ADork: Is everything alright?**

 **A-ADork: Honestly I can get Marinette first, I promise it's not a problem.**

 **Momma Alya: no its fine**

 **Momma Alya: just let me finish getting ready while u come**

 **A-ADork: Alright! See you soon! ;)**

Resisting the urge to melt at the winky face, I set my phone down on the bed so I can get dressed. It doesn't take long - though the drive from here to Nino's isn't that long either - to get the dress and heels on, and I pop into the bathroom to quickly reapply some of my makeup from earlier today. Satisfied, I plop back down on my bad in a most un-ladylike manner and wait for Adrien's text telling me he's here, fiddling with my sweater on my lap.

I'm nervous. Oh gosh, I'm so nervous. Why am I so nervous? I wasn't nearly this nervous when Nino took me on a date. Sure, I didn't care nearly as much about what Nino thought of me, especially when compared to how much I care about what Adrien thinks of me, but shouldn't this be less nerve wracking? This isn't even a date!

Adrien doesn't even see me that way. I have no reason to be nervous.

The doorbell rings, and I jump to my feet, frowning when I notice there's no new text from Adrien. I shove one of the twins out of the way with my hip, giving her a meaningful look before reaching the door. My sister does _not_ get to embarrass me in front of Adrien. They were already embarrassing enough without anyone being around to witness it.

I open the door, opening my mouth to speak, only to quickly shut it to keep my jaw from dropping. There's Adrien, rubbing the back of his neck. It's his usual nervous tick, but it's an adorable one nonetheless. His hand falls to his side as the door stops, and as I work to try and get my jaw moving again, he grins. Stupid Adrien Agreste in a stupid suit. Why, oh why, does he have to be so pretty? I never thought any outfit could make Adrien appear any more charming, but apparently I assumed too much.

"Alya!" He extends a hand, looking for a high five, and I manage to get the order to my brain to actually give him one. The sting that hits my hand tells me it was a good one.

Come on, Alya, play it cool. I'm the cool one. I don't get tongue tied over Adrien Dork Agreste. Sure, he's so incredibly sweet and charming and unfairly handsome, but I am Alya freaking Cesaire. I do not get tongue tied over boys.

Ever.

Even if they're adorably dorky models. That's Marinette's forte, not mine.

"Adrien." I say with a nod, adjusting my glasses and flashing him a bright smile. "How are you, pretty boy?"

"I told you to stop calling me that." He groans playfully, nudging me in the arm and grinning even wider. "I'm doing fine. Happy to be out of the house. I'm actually surprised my father didn't suddenly make me cancel."

"Would've looked bad to the restaurant thanks to our reservations, wouldn't it? The Agreste name and the Gabriel brand could never be salvaged if Adrien Agreste, the angelic model himself, canceled a dinner reservation!" I wave my arms about at my dramatic claim, pausing only to wiggle my eyebrows at Adrien in a silent attempt to ask if I got it right.

Adrien actually guffaws at that, and I try to keep the wonder I'm feeling from flooding into my eyes as I watch this moment where he, for once, forgets how his father has groomed him to act. The moments are hard to come by, though growing more common as Adrien grows more and more comfortable with school. I treasure the ones that I get to witness.

Shaking his head, Adrien manages to calm down so that he's only snickering a bit when he says, "But how are you, Ladyblogger?"

I shrug, ignoring the erratic beating in my heart reminding me of what I was dwelling on only minutes prior to this. "Eh, I could be better, but I also could be worse. I will admit, and I know it sounds awful, but I wish there was another akuma attack, or at least _something_ for me to put on my blog. I'm running out of analysis and trivia to stick up. Am I awful for saying that?"

"I mean, you probably shouldn't be actively wishing that someone becomes an akuma...but I get what you mean. Maybe I can organize an interview for you to put up?"

"Wait, really?" I don't even bother to hide my enthusiasm.

Adrien shrugs. "Why not? Chat Noir and I have talked on occassion, and I think I might know a way for me to contact him. I don't know if he'll be able to get Ladybug in on it, but I'm sure he'd be willing to do an interview solo. He's a real cool cat." The blonde adds a wink in at the end for good measure, and my heart does its all too familiar and annoying pitter patter in my chest.

"Adrien, that would be amazing! Thank you!" Without thinking, I throw my arms around him, only to quickly spring back and release him from my hug. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, I just got really excited-"

"You're fine, Alya." He laughs, waving my apology off. "I seriously don't mind. We should probably get going though, or else we'll be late. Ready?"

I nod, taking a deep breath and stepping out the door with him. We walk in a comfortable silence to the limo, where Gorilla seems to melt in relief upon seeing Adrien. He was probably preparing himself to break in just to make sure Adrien was okay before we came back. Hey, at least the guy is dedicated.

I do have to wonder why he never gives his name though. Adrien always refers to him as Gorilla, and I guess our friend group just picked it up as well. No one knows what to call him and no one ever wants to ask, plus he never comments on the name choice. Besides, we have to refer to him by _something_.

Adrien holds the door open, letting me get in and adjust to a seat before getting in himself.

"Ah, where are my manners today? Alya, I forgot to say this earlier, but you look beautiful tonight."

"You flatter me, Agreste."

"No, I'm serious. You look amazing." His gentle, genuine smile reawakens the butterflies flitting around in my stomach. "You look prettier than any model I've seen."

I fix him with an intense stare, though my attempt to look scary is ruined by the silly faces he makes that cause me to crack up a bit. "Woah, careful there, or I might have to think you're flirting with me. I have a boyfriend, remember?"

He raises an eyebrow, reclining back and fixing me with a serious, contemplative expression. "What would you do if I was?"

"Wha...What?" I sputter the words before biting my lip, not sure what the proper response is to this.

Before I can figure out what the heck I'm supposed to say, Adrien doubles over with laughter. "Oh my gosh, no need to look so serious, Al. I'm just messing with you. I wouldn't take my best friend's girl from him. I'm just here to look pretty, remember?"

I give a weak laugh, shaking my head and slouching down a bit. "Yep. No brain or brawn in you."

Adrien chuckles, wiping at his eyes, and I try not to linger on the joke for too long. It's not like he knows it hurts. It would be funny, if it weren't for circumstances out of either of our control. Still, his statement is one that I'm sure will haunt my mind for a long time: I'm just messing with you.

What would he do if he knew I felt that way about him? He wouldn't pull something like that if he knew I did, would he? The thought makes my head hurt on top of my heart.

"Crap. My jacket." My eyes widen and I suddenly sit up as straight as a rod, looking backwards in the direction of my house. "I forgot my swearter jacket."

Looking to Adrien, I see him bite his lip in thought. "Is it going to be cold tonight?"

I nod, glancing between him and the back window. "According to the weather app, yes. Crap. Ugh, I'm sorry. I'm so stupid."

"Alya, relax." Adrien shakes his head at me, regaining my full attention. "Here, just take my jacket for now." He slips it off and, taking it in his hand, extends it out towards me. I freeze, staring at it almost fearfully. I want so badly to take it because it feels so right - I'm over the moon about him even thinking to offer it - but actually reaching my hand out to take it feels so dang _wrong_. "I swear, I don't need it. Nino always says I'm basically a natural heater."

"But-"

"If you're worried about Nino, don't be. He knows I'm not trying to steal you from him. My heart belongs to Ladybug, after all." I wince, doing my best to smile and nod as if he hasn't just crushed me yet again with that statement. "Come on, I don't want you to be cold and miserable. If Nino gets upset, he can just give you his jacket when we pick him up and I'll take mine back."

To seal the deal, he thrusts the jacket at me. I let it land on my lap, and it takes me a moment to get over my fear to actually, willingly touch it. Still, Adrien is watching me like a hawk, so begrudgingly I give in to the selfish little voice in my head and carefully put it on. It fits surprisingly well, and I can't help nestling into its warmth a bit. It definitely has _nothing_ to do with the fact that it smells like Adrien. Nope. Not at all.

"See? It looks good on you."

He is going to be the death of me, I just know it. He grins at his compliment, looking so pleased with himself, and I find myself melting once again. It's not fair! Guys are only supposed to be this swoon worthy in movies and books, not in real life. Why did the universe have to go and make Adrien Agreste so absolutely perfect? Better yet, why did the universe have to go and make Adrien Agreste end up coming to the same school as me? It's not fair that he can be so sweet and look so pretty but I can't have him. In fact, it absolutely sucks.

I'm completely and utterly screwed.

* * *

 **And there we go! This is my first attempt writing Alyadrien, so how did I do? It was quite fun, I'll be excited to do some other one-shots connecting to this story later.**

 **Also, I have a question. Should I stop responding to every review in the author note, and just respond by PM? Or not respond at all? If I go the PM route, I'd respond to just the guests at the bottom of these sections, but I feel like it'd be better if I didn't respond to every single one at the bottom as it means the length will be more accurate? And might mean I end up writing more in a chapter.**

 **Let me know!**

 **~ Dagger**


	5. Vulpin - Nathanette

Current One-Shot: Vulpin. In which Nathaniel gets the fox Miraculous, Chat Noir gets jealous, and Marinette gets both a headache and way too little sleep. Mari really shouldn't be allowed to be Ladybug when she's tired. If you're expecting a well crafted story, turn back; this one borders on crack.

* * *

 **Vulpin - Nathanette**

 **This oneshot has been in the works forever. And by forever, I really do mean forever. Like honestly, it's been in the works for at least over a year. Mainly due to the fact that my inspiration for it is constantly shifting. Still, it's finally out here, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _Ladybug's Point of View_

* * *

Honestly, having another Miraculous wielder join the team should have been super exciting. It should have offered us another confidant to trust in, even if none of us could fully trust each other with things such as our identities. It should have meant a better chance at getting at Hawkmoth. It should have ensured that defeating akumas would get ten times easier. In fact, it should have made our lives ten times easier in general and made Hawkmoth's life ten times harder.

Instead, it just made _my_ life ten times harder.

Granted, our first meeting wasn't super great. Volpina wasn't too long ago, meaning that my own emotions from that incident were still running quite raw. The appearance of another fox-clad self-acclaimed hero was a bit more than I was ready to take. I was skeptical and distrustful. Apparently Chat picked up on that, because he gave the poor guy an incredibly tough time on his first appearance. There was all sorts of questioning from him as I watched on with pursed lips, silently looking him over. None of us would have thought to do this before, but after Volpina, we could never be sure again. What if someone tricked us again? At least I knew Lila already - not that Chat knew that - so that I could have a clue that things were off. But what if we didn't know the victim in either of our forms next time? That was why we could not just accept this boy with open arms.

However, the red hero stood there and took the questions. Obviously he didn't veer anywhere into civilian territory or identity with them, which was definitely a step up from our other encounter with a fox who really _was_ a fox. He also didn't make any moves for our Miraculous. Instead he just stared right back at me in a silent challenge with the slightest quirk of his lips, barely acknowledging Chat's existence beyond his answers. His turquoise eyes bored back at me until eventually I had to avert my gaze, admitting defeat.

* * *

 _"So you know what your Miraculous is and does. Everyone else in Paris does at this point thanks to Volpina." Chat snaps, preparing to ask yet another question after what feels like one hundred of them. It seems like this questioning comes out of a protectiveness, but now it seems to borderline on possessiveness, although I can't imagine why. I would have thought Chat would be excited to have another member join our team, but apparently I was wrong.  
_

 _"Stop, Chat." I say wearily, growing tired of the interrogation. That tiredness overwhelms any thoughts about Volpina and how the last fox betrayed us, especially because while she set off plenty of warning bells, this boy isn't setting off any. Our mysterious arrival looks rather smug and pleased with himself, as if it's an accomplishment to have outlasted me in patience, which I suppose it is. It doesn't make me want to slap him any less though. "I think if he were an akuma, he would have done something by now. So, hero," I might as well ask a useful question now that I've finally decided to start speaking, "did you recently get your Miraculous?"_

 _This boy looks back at me, almost seeming to be scanning me over thoughtfully before finally giving me an answer. "I suppose you could say that. It was after the Volpina incident, otherwise I would have revealed myself instantly to take her out as an imposter. I mean flying? Please. A fox can't fly." He shifts a little before offering me a quirky grin. "And before you take up the habit of just calling me 'hero,' not that I mind the nickname from you, the name I've decided on is Vulpin."_

 _I take this moment to look the boy over. His costume, while more masculine, certainly resembles Volpina's, even down to the exact same Miraculous design, although that would be expected seeing as it's the Fox Miraculous. However, his hair is short and fire engine red, his bangs apparently staying clipped up with what appears to be a bobby pin of sorts. Hopefully Chat won't notice, because based on his reaction to the hero so far, I think he wouldn't let the poor kid live it down. Why he's acting like this, I have no idea, but it's getting old fast, so he'd better fix his attitude soon. Besides the masculine aspect of this version of Volpina's suit, it also is a dark red, actually seeming to fit well with his hair. He twirls his flute in his hand, looking quite pleased with himself, and I have to fight the urge once again to slap this stranger that is apparently going to be our partner. Who is this cocky child? Here I was thinking Chat Noir was playfully full of himself, but this boy takes that confidence to a whole new level._

 _"Well,_ hero _," My kitty hisses, taking a step towards the unfazed Vulpin, "I think that you'll find that we really don't need another partner on the team. We're doing quite fine on the team as it i-"_

 _"You're on probation, Vulpin." I cut Chat off, causing him to give me a wide eyed look, obviously flabbergasted. "If you do anything that gives us any reason for suspicion during this time, I will not hesitate to mark you an enemy alongside Hawkmoth. Understand?" Vulpin nods, obviously looking pleased. "Good. We have patrol tomorrow night. I expect you to be here to meet us at 9 pm. Got it?" He nods again, tail swishing behind him as he offers me another smirk. I fold my arms, forcing my mouth into a firm line so as not to give this stranger the satisfaction of flustering me any further. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to have a chat with my chaton."_

 _He nods, giving me a salute, which makes Chat tense up beside me. I shoo the fox off, and he offers me one last, satisfied grin before scrambling away. I watch him go for a moment before turning to stare at my leather clad partner, who looks torn between annoyance and preparing to scolded._

 _Apparently he chooses annoyed as his narrowed eyes stay focused on the fox that scrambles away, ears pinned back to the back of his head as he hisses, "He stole my exit!"_

 _"Chat," I snap, forcing him to focus his attention on me. Apparently he realizes that he's in trouble because he reigns himself in, at least having the sense to look ashamed. "What the heck was that?"_

 _"You were upset seeing him. He brought up Volpina in your mind all over again. I was protecting you!" He shifts uncomfortably under my glare as he sputters his reasoning out._

 _"There's more to it than that, Kitty." He perks up a bit when I use my nickname for him, and I almost regret doing so. "Spill. What the heck is up with you?"_

 _"I don't like him." My partner finally mutters, staring down at the ground as his tail swishes behind him. "He's obviously up to no good. Besides, we don't need another person on our team!" He looks up at me, seeming distressed. "Our team is perfectly fine as it is."_

 _I shake my head with a sigh, the corner of my mouth tugging up in amusement. "Just because we have another team member - even if he's only a_ potential _new team member - doesn't mean anything less about our partnership. Change is good, and with akumas picking up in rate, it'll be good to have someone else to carry the load."_

 _He doesn't seem to perk up at all, so I reach out and ruffle his hair as he mumbles, "I still don't like him, Bugaboo."_

* * *

Honestly, perhaps that's when I should've known there was going to be trouble. Chat obviously hadn't been actually listening to anything I was saying, but I still hoped that it would help. Besides, it was another guy for Chat to bond with. That should've been a good thing. However, Vulpin's first patrol was my first sign that this was not going to be the case. I was there early, partly because I'd finished all of my homework and partly because I wanted to make sure I was there to greet our probation partner. I had decided to ignore that there was another part of me showing up early to make sure Chat and Vulpin weren't alone with each other.

* * *

 _"Ladybug." I almost have a heart attack when the fox taps my shoulder, whipping my head around to look at him from where I stand. His lips quirk into a smirk as he asks, "Oh, did I scare you?"_

 _"No." I respond far too quickly to not sound like I'm making an excuse. "I was just startled."_

 _He shakes his head, looking just as amused and sure of himself as yesterday. "Well, Ladybug, is there anything I need to do as a probation team member that I wasn't told last night?"_

 _I shake my head. "No, just don't step out of line. Everything else you can learn as you go."_

 _He grins. "I can do that." We stand there for a few moments, and when I begin to try and figure out what to say, Vulpin suddenly states, "The sky is beautiful tonight, isn't it?"_

 _I look up, and I have to admit he has a point. "I guess I don't pay much attention to it, but yes, it is beautiful." I smile despite myself. "Do you look at the stars a lot?"_

 _"Not a lot, but sometimes. I'm an artist, so I love looking at beautiful things for inspiration, but I prefer to draw people." His gaze grows intense as he looks at me, and then he says, "I've drawn you before, but not just because you're a person. You're beautiful too."_

 _My face goes red despite myself as I squeak, "Vulpin!" Chat's flirting never gets to me like Vulpin's compliment did. What the heck? My blush gets worse when Vulpin snickers, seeming awfully pleased with himself._

 _And for once my luck as Ladybug fails me, because Chat chooses this time to make his entrance. He doesn't speak, but from the anger flashing in his eyes, I can guess he heard Vulpin's comment._

 _"Let's get on with patrol." I say firmly, before either boy leaps at the other's throat. "Think you two can handle that?"_

 _"Of course," Vulpin smirks, brushing past me and heading for the edge of the roof and gesturing out. "Ladies first?"_

 _Chat hisses, shoving past both of us and glaring at Vulpin. "You don't make the decisions here,_ hero _."_

 _Groaning, I walk to the edge on the other side of the two feuding boys. "No, he doesn't make the decisions, but I will be taking the lead. Come on."_

* * *

I expected things to be fine from there, but I was horribly mistaken. Chat and Vulpin kept making digs at each other and each attempted to one up what the previous claimed, said, or did. It was absolutely ridiculous, and while Vulpin seemed to be amused, Chat had a dark, calculated glint in his eges. Obviously one was taking it more seriously than the other. Plus, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Vulpin was just aiming to get under Chat's skin.

Eventually enough came to enough. We'd barely made it anywhere with our first patrol because I had to keep stopping and regaining control of the two boys, and there was a lot more of Paris to cover. As much as I was nervous to be one on one with Vulpin again - although why, I wasn't quite sure - I recognized Chat was getting out of hand. It was painfully obvious that he was prepared to push the fox off the roof. The only way I knew to stop him was to split our group for patrol.

* * *

 _"Okay," I snap at the two heroes as they begin to argue back and forth over who is the fastest, "We're splitting patrol. Chat, you take the left while Vulpin and I take the right. We'll meet up at the Eiffel Tower."_

 _My partner freezes, face falling as he manages to stutter out, "What? My lady, you can't mean you'll be sending me al-"_

 _I huff, for once resisting his puppy eyes. "You and Vulpin can't be trusted together, and I certainly can't send the inexperienced hero who is still on probation by himself. You can survive one time by yourself. We'll meet up, say if we saw anything important or any development we might have found for finding Hawkmoth, and then we can be done with this whole experience. I'm already nursing a headache from you two bickering." I mumble the last part, rubbing my forehead._

 _Chat's ears pin down, and I swear he legitimately hisses at Vulpin before heading off. "Fine."_

 _He rushes off, obviously upset by me 'taking the newbie's side,' and I'm left to face Vulpin. However, I wish I could call Chat Noir back as I meet the redhead's gaze. He seems quite pleased as he steps a bit closer to me._

 _"So, are you going to show me the ropes?" I hate how smug he looks._

* * *

The night, surprisingly, went pretty well. I expected Vulpin to misbehave, but besides some general flirting and mischievous comments, he actually was trying to learn how this worked. I was impressed, to say the least. We fell into a familiar groove, different than the one Chat and I had and yet just as comfortable.

* * *

 _"Hey Ladybug," Vulpin grins as we check the last street, "I'll race you to the Eiffel tower."_

 _"You'll race me?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow. He nods, smiling wider, so I shrug but decide to indulge him. "Be prepared to lose."_

 _"Don't underestimate me." He responds, wiggling his eyebrows right back as he answers. "Ready?" I nod, and he smirks one last time before loudly announcing, "Go!"_

 _I take off across the rooftops, throwing my yoyo forward to pull myself ahead. But Vulpin is faster than I give him credit for, and it's a neck and neck race. He seems very determined to beat me, and his powers seem to give him an advantage with leaping. I find myself giggling up a storm and try to shove him out of the way, but he gasps and shoves right back._

 _"That's cheating!" I squeak, barely keeping my footing as I land on the rooftop from getting shoved, throwing my yoyo forward again._

 _He rolls his eyes. "You started it!"_

 _It doesn't take long to reach our end point. As expected, I win, but not nearly by as much as I expected. Laughing, I come to a halt, chest heaving to provide me with air as I watch Vulpin approach only a few seconds behind.  
_

 _"It appears I've been bested," He doesn't seem too disappointed on the fact, if the pleased grin on his face is anything to go by._

 _"Seems like you guys had a fun time." The cold tone causes me to turn around, and I wilt a little at the angry, if not hurt, expression on Chat Noir's face. "Patrol isn't a game,_ Vulpin _."_

 _"Chat, don't start this agai-" I step forward, hoping to calm him before he starts another fight._

 _But Vulpin appears to have other plans, tilting his head and casually shooting back, "Oh, really? I didn't know you knew that,_ Chat _, with all the puns you make."_

 _Chat Noir steps closer, looking like he might just punch Vulpin. "You don't get to call me Chat."_

 _"I think it's time we go home." I grumble, looking back and forth between the two. "Come on, let's go."_

* * *

All the fighting made going to school that much harder; managing my team had become mentally taxing. After that first patrol, I quickly realized that was just going to be setting the precedent, and had to assign both Vulpin and Chat separate patrol days. I patrolled with Vulpin, because he was the newbie, but that often meant Chat was left to patrol alone, because I couldn't be patrolling every single day. This upset him; to an extent, I understood why. He didn't think it was fair. He felt he was being punished when, from his perspective, he hadn't done anything wrong. I could only assume that he thought what had happened was not his fault; it certainly was an explanation for why he was less in sync than usual during our akuma battles.

Still, I was exhausted all around from having to deal with the two bickering heroes, because more often than not Chat came up with an excuse on why I had to patrol with him too. It was physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. I wasn't sure how I was meant to keep it up.

Especially when I was struggling to simply keep my _grades_ up.

* * *

 _"Girl!" Alya's hiss jolts me back to reality, causing me to almost fall right out of my chair. "Gosh, you haven't been mentally present in days. I swear you've fallen asleep in every single class_ twice _a day for the past three weeks. What gives?"_

 _I yawn, before offering the same excuse I've given the other eighty bajillion times she's asked. "Fashio-" Another yawn cuts off my statement. "Fashion project."_

 _"Project or not,_ _you need to get some proper bed rest. You're going to get sick." I appreciate Alya's mother bear tendencies, but in situations like these, they get annoying._

 _"Whatever you say, Alya." I slump down in my chair, laying my face down on my desk.  
_

 _"Ugh, you, Adrien, and Nathaniel have_ all _been like this today. My three biggest supporters of the Ladyblog in this class, through different means of course, and I can't talk to_ any _of you due to whatever is causing..._ this _." She says the word disdainfully, and I imagine her wrinkling her nose as I try to go back to the blissful sleep she awoke me from. "Whatever this is needs to be fixed, girl. ASAP."_

 _"Mhm," I respond in the most noncommittal fashion the word has ever been spoken in._

 _Yes, whatever this was_ did _need to be fixed ASAP. Sadly, that was out of my hands and in the hands of two eager to show off teenage boys._

 _We were all doomed._

* * *

It was destined to all come to a head eventually. I was exhausted, dangerously close to failing some of classes for this quarter, and fed up with my two partners. We'd nearly lost to several akumas - or almost failed to retrieve and purify them - due to both my dangerously high levels of exhaustion and the sheer stupidity that was Vulpin and Chat's silent contest to impress me. Honestly, all either of them were doing at this point was annoying me.

At least Vulpin seemed to notice this. He'd backed off a bit, given me some space from the whole thing. He'd even offered to take some of our patrols, if not all of them, on his own so that I could get the rest I so obviously needed. I refused on principle, but the thought behind it was endearing.

But the competition was still going, mainly due to Chat refusing to let it go, and I was dreading the day it would truly come to a head.

Who would have guessed that that day would be today?

To be fair, it wasn't _really_ my fault. The two of them had been going at it again in a smear campaign against each other during an entire akuma attack. I suppose it was meant to impress me, or at least sully my opinion of the other? All it really did was test my patience. By the end of it, I was at my wit's end, and thankful to have actually finished the fight and purified the butterfly.

Except then Chat Noir had the nerve to throw his arm around my shoulder while trying to plant a kiss on my cheek, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I shrugged his arm off, and when he had the nerve to look hurt by the gesture, I shove him a few inches away.

I suppose the fact that I kissed Vulpin for good measure might have been going a little far.

But Chat had looked so smug, and I was so tired that my brain wasn't functioning correctly anymore. I hadn't really processed what had been occurring till it was too late to turn back. Though, to be fair, once I _did_ realize what was going on I didn't bother to _stop_ the situation. I guess I kind of enjoyed it, and I could've sworn for a moment that Vulpin kissed me back.

The few seconds of blissful silence from the two - which was all I really wanted all along, peace and quiet from their bickering - was shattered as a hurt Chat tugged me away from Vulpin, whose face was now as red as his hair. Once he seeemed to have regained some control of his body, Vulpin darted off, and since I didn't want to hang around and explain my sleep deprived decisions to Chat - not that I was even required to explain them to him, but I certainly would have felt obligated to - I followed in suit.

Sleep deprivation didn't just affect my decision making though, and a lack of proper judgement caused me to mistime a jump on my way back home. I found myself flailing through the air, and landing with a less than pleasant sounding thud on someone's balcony. That was all the push my body needed apparently, because I passed out right then and there.

Which led me to waking up now and finding a red-faced Nathaniel staring back at me, with the first words flying out of his mouth of course being, "You're Ladybug?'

I blink, staring up at him from where I lay on what's presumably _his_ balcony. "Noooo, I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I don't have the mask on, so I can't be her." I wiggle my fingers in front of my eyes for emphasis. Then I giggle, "Not till Tikki has her cookie." Trying to sit up, Nathaniel offers me a hand, but I wave it off, instead grinning and asking, "Who are you?"

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm able to acknowledge that I sound like I'm super drunk.

"Vulpin," Is the ginger's isntant response, and he freezes, his face going red again after finally beginning to return to its normal shade.

I wag my finger in front of his face, shaking my head again. "Nooo he's a silly fox. A cute fox, but silly. You don't have his mask, Tomato child." He sits down in front of me, and I rest my head on his knee, raising my eyebrows as I stare up at him to ask, "Do you kiss as well as he does though?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Ladybug is _always_ okay." I insist, nodding my head.

"You really should have taken me up on doing our patrol nights alone." That comment is enough to make me reevaluate his previous statement, and I narrow my eyes while staring hard and long at his face. "Figured it out yet, Mari?"

I blink a few times before groaning, "Five more minutes. I don't have the energy to deal with this revelation right now."

As I shut my eyes and curl up in front of him, I swear he presses a gentle kiss against my forehead. "Okay, Ladybug."

* * *

 **This one-shot devolved into complete and utter crack by the end. But it was never meant to be a super serious one, so I suppose it's a fitting fate. XD It's not my best work, but I think it's a fun one. Obviously if it were a full fledged story I would have worked out their relationship development a bit more before that kiss, but hey, it's a one-shot, and besides, I have other things I want to write. So I hope you enjoyed that sort of Nathanette one-shot? Like I said, it was meant to just be fun. XD**

 **Anyways, until next time! I have more one-shots in store - like the continuation of the Alyadrien appreciation one-shot that I'm doing despite that week having been months ago, because I liked the connected one-shot ideas I had - but also I have stories to work on, so we'll see what I actually get my lazy butt to update first.**

 **Thanks for the support! I'm really glad you guys like these one-shots so much, they're so much fun to write. c:**

 **~ Dagger**


	6. Fight Like This - Kiminette

Current One-Shot: Fight Like This. Hawkmoth may have been defeated, but Paris is ill equipped to deal with the result. Marinette's fight isn't over, this time without the suit to help. But heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and one determined Kim Le Chien isn't ready to see his friend give up.

* * *

 **I don't have much to say to introduce this story. I tried something new and kinda weird, so let me know how you feel about it when you finish reading this one-shot. I'm definitely not super proud of it, but I put in a lot of time so I decided to post it anyways. Who knows? Maybe one of you will really like it. Sorry for disappearing again! School has been really rough this year alongside mental heath, and I also have been doing some planning to write my own original novel. Still, I hope to be updating a bit more consistently from now on! This time let's hope nothing messes that up!**

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

My hands shake, and I dig my fingers into my palms. I'm not sure what I hope that action will accomplish. Do I think it'll calm my anger, or at least stop the shaking?

Not really, but it at least grounds me to the here and now.

I stare down at my diary, rereading the last sentence I wrote in it. _How can someone lose everything amidst their biggest victory?_

That thought haunted me. It was as if it was burned into my brain, with a hold so tight that I'd never be free of it. Thanks to it, I was a prisoner in my own mind.

And thanks to Hawkmoth, practically a prisoner in my own body.

The fight was brutal. I don't think either of us were prepared for the battle we eneed up having to face. If I'd had to do it without Chat, I know I wouldn't have won. Even with his help, we still had to call in all three of our temporary heroes for the showdown. Hawkmoth was stronger than any of us had expected, and he'd been prepared.

Even worse, though we won, we didn't get the Miraculous back to Master Fu. During the fight, it disappeared, and if Hawkmoth was to be believed, he had no idea where it went. His panic over its disappearance, even as he was being arrested, certainly seemed genuine.

Hawkmoth. The identity of the man who had tormented Paris for over two years wasn't what any of us expected. No one would have ever guessed that Gabriel Agreste was the one behind the mask. The previously akumatized, detached, confident owner of Gabriel was the public enemy. It shattered a lot of people's perceptions.

Especially Chat's, who practically crumbled when the man detransformed.

It was when he detransformed that things really went awry, and not just because of his missing Miraculous. He'd taken the opportunity to use our horrified shock to his advantage. I wasn't prepared for his attack till too late, and by the time I realized he was barreling towards me with the desperation of a mad man, I couldn't fend him off properly with my yoyo. Instead, I was forced to frantically trying to push him away from me and my earrings, taking a step back for each step he took forward.

He'd grabbed my yoyo, clinging on to it but not exterminate enough pressure to actually do anything to keep me in place. The punch I hit him with in the jaw was enough to force everyone back into the action, but not before he was able to slap me, hard enough that I was sent stumbling away.

If it wasn't for his butterflies still apparently feeling some sort of fidelity towards him, perhaps the situation could have been rectified then and there, or at least kept from getting worse. But as Chat took Hawkmoth on in a fit of rage, the butterflies kept Carapace, Rena Rouge, and Queen Bee at bay.

They were distractions, so no one would notice as I careened backwards and out the previously smashed window. Perhaps that was Gabriel's goal, or maybe it was simply an unfortunate series of events, but either way everything managed to culminate into the terror that was freefalling. It shouldn't have been so scary; after all, I jumped from rooftop to rooftop all the time. But there's something different about falling when you know you have something secure to help you not splatter all over the ground, something you've had practice with, versus the vomit-inducing ride down that I was now facing.

Despite my tugging on the yoyo, I couldn't bring the loop attached back to me. My only guess was that Gabriel still had it encased in his hands, keeping my trusted tool from being able to pull me back up. The thing I'd grown so reliant on was made useless, and I was useless without it.

Wrapping my yoyo around my waist in the futile hope that it would somehow save me, I fully expected to die.

Somewhere above me, someone shouted, "Ladybug!" I think it was Queen Bee, though the shock of the moment has left me unsure as to whether or not that's right. My eyes scrunched tight, and I forced myself to bite back tears. Perhaps this was just a sacrifice that had to be made. There are always losses and casualties in battles.

Maybe I was just this one's.

But fate declared otherwise. Suddenly, there was something yanking on the yoyo, forcing it to halt in its descent. The sharp stop was more than startling; it _hurt_. I heard a snap, and couldn't contain my scream, though at the time I wasn't sure if it was one of shock or pain. But I managed to open my eyes, and suddenly there was Chat and a detransformed Chloe, both clinging and sobbing as Carapace and Rena Rouge held a violently jerking Gabriel down. They all kept talking, trying to reassure me that everything was going to be alright, but I didn't understand.

At some point, the setting melted into a hospital room. According to my doctors, that was due to the overwhelming nature of the trauma that had just occurred, as well as the stress it had caused me both physically and mentally. Though they never stayed long enough to assure me that I hadn't imagined their visit, I recall different faces from my hazy memories of those first few days: Alya's, Chloe's, Nino's, and Adrien's were the most distinct. While I couldn't recall necessarily seeing their faces, my parents having been there was a given, and though I can't say for certain, I'm almost positive I can recall seeing my grandma's face as well as my classmate's, and even Tikki's.

When I finally came fully too, I was detransformed and there were piles upon piles of Get Well Soon cards and gifts. I'd let myself believe for just a moment that they weren't what I thought they were, but in the end I forced myself to acknowledge the fact that the secret was out: Paris knew I was Ladybug.

There was no other reasonable explanation as to why so many cards had Ladybug and ladybugs drawn on them.

I tried to stand, maybe to read one of the cards or to see if anyone was around. It was the first time in who knows how long that I was fully awake and aware, the first time I can remember at least. I don't remember my reason for standing beyond just feeling as if I needed to; to be honest, it didn't even matter.

All that mattered in that moment was that I tried to stand up - and couldn't.

I remember a horrible realization washing over me: I couldn't feel my legs. And I began to panic, breath quickening and tears pricking at my eyes as I leaned forward. Where were they? Reaching my hand out, I was able to confirm that my legs _were_ there. Upon that confirmation, I tried again to stand, to kick, heck, to even move a _toe_. There was nothing.

Then I shoved them. Poked them. Smacked them. I couldn't feel _anything_. I don't know when in the process I began to scream and sob, but it was happening. I was shaking, practically clawing at my legs to try and get some sort of reaction from them. At some point, my parents ran in, with my three closest friends and Chloe close behind. They were panicked and the room grew so loud, but I couldn't hear anything they said.

All I knew was that my legs weren't _working_.

My dad and Nino grabbed my arms, pinning me down as I violently thrashed about and screamed, "What happened to my legs?"

Their faces showed devastation. They were startled. Horrified. This reaction had, apparently, not been expected. I don't even know if they knew anything was wrong with my legs.

Doctors rushed in. Sedated me. I remembered clutching my father's arm and sobbing as I kept repeating my question. "Papa, what happened to my legs?"

The haze started up again. I remember the same faces swirling around in my memories, along with disjointed phrases. _I love you_ and _Hang in there, Mari_ are two I heard often. But there are others that stick out.

 _Please come back to me._

 _If only I'd known..._

 _Why her?_

 _Master, are you sure your plan is best? It could completely backfire. Look how hurt she is. Losing anything else could_ devastate _her..._

 _You're going to be okay._

 _Marinette, I don't know if you can hear me...but I'm here for you. I, I never would have guessed...but it makes sense. Oh gosh, my lady, I failed you. I'm so sorry._

The next time I finally came to, I didn't scream. I didn't try to stand either. I just sat and cried, hands shaking as I continued to feel my legs, to try and comprehend what had happened to me.

Everyone visited. Even though my mind was clearer this time, the faces still all managed to blur together. There were just too many people stopping by. When I did get time to myself, I talked to Tikki. She tried desperately to comfort me, but there wasn't much she could say.

I never threw my Lucky Charm, never called for the Miraculous Cure. There was no mistaking it: there would be no curing this.

We'd defeated Hawkmoth, and the cost was the use of my legs.

My parents had to help me practically every time I had to move around the house. I couldn't go up the stairs in the wheelchair they got me, and we couldn't afford to move. My parents had tried to say we were going to, but I wouldn't let them. This was their business as well as our home. I wasn't going to ruin that for them.

So instead I need help to get to any floor in our house, and I can't get up to my balcony anymore. It's miserable.

I thought there might have still been a way, a way for me to still be able to walk. I called Tikki out the first moment we were alone, despite everyone knowing who I was. I had to try, to see if it worked. I told myself it was because Paris still needed me...but I knew it was more selfish than that. I wanted to walk again. That was the real reason I was trying so hard to transform.

Whether or not I could have resisted the urge to use my Miraculous selfishly, however, would never be known; it did nothing to help my legs. I still couldn't walk.

When Master Fu visited, requesting my Miraculous back, I couldn't even argue. I let him take my earrings and watched him walk away. It was hard to read his emotions. He seemed disappointed; it might have been about the situation, but I could 't help and feel like the disappointment was directed at me. That I had somehow failed him. It was devastating, yet I somehow managed not to crack till after he was gone.

I couldn't even imagine how I'd feel when a new Ladybug made an appearance. After all, Mayura was still out there. The Miraculous wielders _needed_ a Ladybug on the team...and I couldn't be that anymore. A paralyzed Ladybug was useless in a fight. I would be a weak link, a chip in the armor.

I was worthless now. Without the earrings, I was nothing. I wasn't saving the city anymore, what everyone now knew I did. I couldn't do something that had encompassed my life for the past few years. It was all over.

Chat Noir still visited me. Master Fu apparently hadn't told him about needing to choose a new Ladybug, which meant there was no new Ladybug, at least not one that had chosen to reveal herself; I don't know why he wouldn't tell Chat yet, let alone refuse to give the earrings out again. Still, perhaos he had yet to deem it necessary. After all, Mayura has yet to dare and make another appearance. Perhaps she too was stunned by Hawkmoth's defeat, needing to sort herself out in order to mount a proper attack.

Either way, there was not a new Ladybug yet, and I wasn't going to be the one to tell Chat that there would be. So instead he visited me and we would sit there, staring at each other as we tried to figure out where to go from here. He kept apologizing, and every time he would end up crying.

It wasn't healthy for either of us.

School wasn't any better. It was as if no one could meet my eyes, not even Miss Bustier. It was hard enough to get to school, but to go and have no one know how to speak to you? It was sickening. It hurt.

Alya would tear up each time she saw me, and run away to avoid speaking with me. Nino would freeze up and avert his gaze. Adrien, like Alya, avoided interaction completely. Even Chloe, who had hated me so desperately, couldn't find a word to speak against me. Perhaps it was because I was her hero, but her change of heart was bizarre. The fact that she couldn't bring herself to approach me, just staring at me with _pity_ in her eyes, stung.

Any time someone could work up the never to talk to me, pity laced their words. I felt compeltely alone. Isolated. Eventually, it was all too much. One day I just refused to go, and my parents, my devastated parents who couldn't figure out how to help me, didn't make me. They didn't even argue, just backing off and leaving me to sit in my room.

I didn't go the next day. Or the next day. Or the next. No one questioned me. No one pushed me. They let me stop.

Chat's visits had begun to dwindle already, but it took a week of me skipping school before he visited. He'd heard. Why wouldn't he have heard? Everyone knew who I was. Everyone was watching me. No doubt everyone had heard that I had stopped attending school, stopped even daring to leave my house. They'd all accepted it.

Even Chat didn't argue about it with me. He'd accepted my decision, just asking why I did it, and when I continued to stay silent, he dropped the question. He just kept apologizing for it as if it was his fault like usual, crying over what had happened. It was all too much. I lost it.

"Stop it!" I'd screamed the words at him. "Just stop!"

He'd frozen like a deer in headlights, completely taken aback by my sudden outburst; after all, I had grown more and more silent during each of our meetings, till in the last few I had just stopped talking completely. "L-LB?"

"Stop crying! You just come here and cry! How do you think I feel? Do you think this _helps_? Everything is ruined. I can't walk!"

"Mari-"

"No! For once stop talking! You coming here and _sobbing_ over what happens never helps. Just leave!"

He reaches his hand out, seeming stunned. "I-I don't want to leave you alone..."

I slap his hand back, biting back a shriek. "But I want you to! All you do is talk about what happened. I get it, I'm pathetic now! I can't do anything! You come here _all_ the time. It's killing me as it is! Why are you making it even worse? You don't even trust me with your identity, despite the fact that the world knows mine! What happened to you trusting me?"

"I'm sorry...I want to tell you...but I-I can't..."

"Yes, you can." I spit the words at him. "You _won't._ That's the difference."

"Ladybug-"

"That's over! I'm not her anymore! I never will be! Just...just get out!"

Chat's ears pinned against his head as he averted his gaze, standing up to leave. "I'll come back when we're both a bit more reasonable." Then he left.

And he never did come back.

Everyone has made it clear, including Chat: I'm fragile now.

Too much of anything could cause me to break.

I'm not necessary anymore, and should just sit back.

I throw my pencil to the ground, wishing I could crush it beneath my feet. There's no point to this! It's all over. My life is over. Tears trickle down my cheeks as I shut my notebook. I'm trapped with only myself for company because no one wants to try anymore. Because _I_ don't want to try anymore.

What's the point?

It's as if the universe decided to answer back in the next second when a loud knocking interrupts my thoughts. "Marinette!" I flinch, starting to spin my wheelchair to try and figure out who on earth is talking. "Marinette, I'm coming in!"

There are no words to describe my shock when Kim Le Chien is the one who steps inside.

I'm completely dumbfounded. Kim? What is _he_ doing here? We never really talked at school, let alone outside of it. Which is odd, seeing as we've been in the same class for years.

We state at each other, neither of us willing to speak for at least three minutes.

I crack first, raising my eyebrows. "Kim? What the heck are you _doing_ here?"

He takes a step forward, frowning. "I'm here because the Marinette I knew wouldn't just be giving up like this."

Now I can't help but laugh. "The Marinette you knew? We barely even talked. What Marinette did _you_ know?"

At this point, Kim has reached my wheelchair, and kneels beside it. The oook on his face is more serious than any I've ever seen him make. And yet...it's not pitying. There's no pity in Kim's eyes. So then why is he here?

"The Marinette _I_ knew tried no matter what. Heck, you were fighting akumas _daily_. You're a hero!"

"I think you're confused." I don't mean to sound cruel, but at the same time, it feels good to be a complete jerk. " _Ladybug_ does the fighting. Does the saving. Nice try though."

" _Marinette_ fought Chloe to become class president. _Marinette_ was always there to help on a rough day. Marinette, you knew everyone's name and favorite pastry. It wasn't hard to figure out who left me the box of cookies in my locker after the Dark Cupid incident. The name of the bakery was on the box."

I scowl. "Why are you trying _so hard_ to get...whatever it is you want?"

He frowns as if it's obvious. "Because it's time someone repaid the favor."

In the end, he convinces me to go to the park with him. And by convinces me, I mean that he wheels me out of the house against my will while my parents did nothing to stop him. When we arrive at the park, he wheels me to the bleachers by a decently sized track and grins.

"Race me?" He wiggles his eyebrows, earning a glare and a shake of the head. How am I even supposed to do that? I expect him to be disappointed, but instead he just chuckles and shrugs. "Alright."

Then he begins to run around the track.

I'm stunned. I expected him to yell at me, or at least wheel me home if I wouldn't do what he wanted. Or, even more likely, that he'd try to make me. Instead, he left me to watch him work out. He ran around the track as well as doing some other exercises, and after at least thirty minutes, he walked back over to me.

"You ready to go home?"

I blink at him, still shocked by the turn of events. "W-what was that?"

He raises an eyebrow. "You're gonna get better, Marinette, even if you don't want to. I'm going to make sure of it. But this is just step one. We could move faster if you'd agree to work with me...but I'll leave it be for now."

He walks me home, letting me sit in stunned silence as I try to fully comprehend what just happened. And when we reach my house, he helps me inside before saying goodbye. I have no answer for my parents when they ask what that was about.

I don't expect him to come back, but in my spite of my disinterest he shows up again the next day and we do it again. This behavior continues, and eventually it becomes part of my routine. Every day, Kim will show up at my house and wheel me out to the park, and I'll watch him work out. Some times I've brought a book along. Another time he told me I should take pictures of him, so I tried to take the worst ones I possibly could. One time I even brought sewing materials, even though I haven't sewn - let alone designed - since the accident. It wasn't great, but it was taking steps.

Eventually I began requesting for my parents to help me downstairs before Kim arrived so that the whole ordeal would be easier, since he didn't seem like he would be giving up anytime soon. They were surprised but happy to oblige with the new change in my schedule, eventually helping me down without even waiting for me to ask. They do their best to hide their smiles and whispered optimisms, but I know they are both pleased and excited. They think it means I am getting better. I don't have the heart to crush their hopes, so long as they don't talk about it directly to me.

A few weeks into our routine, Kim asks me the same question he always asks when we reach the track: "Race me?"

"No." The familiar response falls from my lips, but as he nods and starts to head over to the track, I find myself stretching out my hand to regain his attention. "Wait!"

He turns, raising his eyebrows. "What's up, Mari?"

I hesitate, unsure how to voice what I wish to say. "I...well, I don't want to race...but maybe...you'd help me experience what it's like to run again?"

He looks shocked for a moment, but then he grins. "Heck yeah, Mari! Let's give it a go." He goes behind me and grabs the handles of my wheelchair, carefully pushing me out onto the track. "Ready?"

"Yeah." I thankfully sound a bit more confident this time around.

He gives me no warning, just starting to run. It's terrifying and exhilarating. We don't go too fast; I have definitely gone faster in my life. But it's faster than I've gone for a while and when he stops I can feel something in my heart shift, reminding me of what I lost.

My smile drops and Kim frowns before quietly stating, "Let's get you home."

Next time I don't ask. But after three more times, I work up my courage, and slowly this too becomes a routine. Kim will help me go around the track for at least one lap every day, and then I'll watch him do the rest of his workout. While we talked a lot at first, recently more often than not we've fallen into a now familiar silence. It's comfortable. I never thought it'd be that way.

Finally, I am able to make the next step.

"Race me?"

" _Yes_."

Kim's face spreads into a wide grin, and this time _I_ wheel _myself_ over to the track. He gets into position beside me before asking, "Should I go easy on you?"

"No." I surprise myself with my fierceness. "I don't expect to win yet. But don't go easy on me."

We start and, as expected, he crushes me. But slowly I make progress. I know I'll never be able to go as fast, but it's still fun to try and give him a run for his money.

Around three months after the accident, he suggests what I was no longer expecting. "Let me try to help you walk."

I balk. "I can't walk, Kim. My spine snapped. I'm paralyzed."

But he's persistent. "Please. Let's just try."

I can't even stand on my legs. Eventually I'm crying in anger, but Kim is persistent. He insists on trying again and again, holding onto my arms and trying to help me move my legs.

But despite my protests, and my parents' concerns, this becomes the new norm. Kim keeps trying, and I try to humor him every day till my patience can't handle anymore. Then I complain for the rest of our session, because he never stops when I want him to.

And yet, three weeks into our new norm, Kim has me holding onto a railing, and slowly, ever so slowly, I find myself able to shuffle an inch.

My legs shake and I fall, but when Kim picks me up, looking over me to make sure I'm okay, I'm crying joyful tears.

Just for a moment, I was normal again.

A new determination fuels me. With Kim's help, I continue working to reclaim my ability to walk. It's a slow and painful process. I grow frustrated and wish to give up so often, but Kim won't let me.

And two months later, Kim is right beside me when I walk into a room I never thought I'd enter again with my now very familiar cane. He stays silent, a scowl on his face when Master Fu looks up at us both and grins.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," He bows his head to me, and before I can even respond, he extends a familiar box out to me. "I believe I have something of yours."

I hesitate, staring at in in shock. "You...you're letting me take it back?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Is that not what you want?" I gasp, and he offers an amused smile. "I did not want to take the Ladybug Miraculous from you. Yet I feared that if I did not, you would never recover. Tikki had told me there were signs of the Miraculous magic preserving a _chance_ of survival. I am glad to see that the decision worked."

I tug at Kim's arm, staring up at him. "I wasn't going to recover...not till Kim helped." Still unsure, I look back to Master Fu. "Why didn't you give the Miraculous to someone else?"

"Till Mayura came back, I fully intended to wait."

This time a smile breaks my face, and I rush to open the box and pick the earrings up. As I put them on, Tikki squeals, appearing and nuzzling up against my cheek.

I smile, glancing at Kim. "Kim, meet Tikki."

Kim's eyes widen as the red kwami flies in front of his face. " _This_ is what gives you the power to be Ladybug?"

Tikki huffs at this. "I am a kwami, and I let Marinette wield the powers of good luck and creation. Don't underestimate me." It's the most threatening I've ever heard her get.

When we went back to my home that Friday, it was like I was whole again. The piece of me that was missing was now back.

Kim stayed for dinner, because my parents adored him. In their eyes, he'd saved me, and they never hesitated to try and thank him in any way they could think of. He was always welcome, a fact they consistently reminded me of. He preens a bit around then, but he knows when to draw the line for the most part.

And now, I'm taking my final step of recovery. I can walk now, even though I need my cane when I am not transformed. I'm happier than I've been in ages. Tikki is with me again. Still, this is the scariest one so far, when it shouldn't even be that difficult. But I haven't even told Kim I'm doing this yet. It's a surprise for him...and for me as well.

Hand shaking, I grab the door knob, and slowly push the door open so as not to lose my nerve.

"That's correct, Lila! Within the story-" Miss Bustier stops to turn and see the interruption, gawking when she meets my eyes. "Marinette?"

Hesitant, I step inside. I can't help but now be unsure of this decision. Was it a mistake to try this yet?

"Marinette!" Then there's that familiar shout, and I turn to see Kim standing at his desk in the back, widely grinning. As he begins to try and make his way over, I can't help trying to run to him. On the stairs, I drop my cane and trip, but he catches me, smiling in amusement when I look up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I decided it was time for me to come back."

Before he can say anything else, I wrap my arms around his neck and lock my lips with his.

Miss Bustier clearing her voice is what stops us, and though she tries to look disapproving, a smile breaks through. "It's good to have you back, Marinette."

I grin, clutching Kim's hand in mine.

* * *

 **Not my finest work, but the idea hit me so I decided to run with it. There's my try at a Kim x Marinette story. I want to try a shorter one some other time, but since I had this idea I decided to go with it, so hopefully it wasn't awful. I have some other one-shots in the work (including an idea that's an alternate take on how Chameleon could go) that will have more familiar ships, and I also intend to update my stories soon, but in the mean time, here's this to tie you over.**

 **Let me know what you thought and how I can do better with rare pairs in the future. Also, if there's any ship you want to see me try my hand at, let me know in a review or PM! I can't promise I'll fo it, however I appreciate suggestions as they do help me in coming up with new ideas.**

 **Until next time!**

 **~ Dagger**


	7. No More - None

Current One-Shot: No More. Despite being theatened by Lila, Marinette intends to listen to Adrien. That is, till she finds that Lila has turned everyone in the class against her. Now Marinette must try to cope with slowly becoming a social pariah. Just how much more can Lila take from her?

* * *

 **No More**

 **Wow, okay. This one-shot started one way and then veered into a completely different one. o.o I'm very interested to see people's feelings about this one. The one other thing I will say is that this coming around the time of Chameleon. Thus, let's begin.**

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

Taking a deep breath, I step into Ms. Bustier's classroom.

Eleven accusatory glares meet mine, as well as one pleading look begging me to let it go. Chloe didn't even bother to spare me a glance.

And amidst it all is Lila, still sitting next to an embarassed looking Adrien and looking so incredibly smug, despite the tears running down her eyes.

After a few moments of silence, Alya speaks up, and my heart feels like shattering inside of my chest. "Lila told us what you did in the bathroom, girl. Not cool."

"But-" I begin, eyes widening as I realize what the transfer student has done.

"We don't want to hear it, Marinette." Rose pipes up, sounding far angrier than I've ever heard in my life. "How could you threaten Lila like that?"

"That's not what happe-"

Alix stands up, scowling. "Are you really that jealous of her? Well, let me spell it out to you, Dupain-Cheng. Just because you like-"

I cut her off before she can finish, choking back tears to say, "I didn't do _anything_! Come on guys, you know me. I wouldn't do that. Don't you guys know that?" I hesitate, glancing to each of the people in the classroom. "Do you really not believe me?"

Hot tears race down my cheeks as I look to Adrien, begging for his help. He knows that Lila is a liar. He can back me up. He can support me.

But when I look at him, his eyes are pleading with me to just let it go as he mouths the words, "It's not worth it."

A sob catches in my throat as I turn around, sprinting out of the room before collapsing to my knees in the hallway.

"Marine-" Someone calls inside the classroom, but they're cut off.

"Leave it. She's just upset that she was exposed." Is that Alya saying that?

"T-Thank you guys, for standing up for me," I can barely make out the fake sniffling of Lila, but it hurts all the same.

I try to scramble to my feet, but ultimately only fall back down to the ground. In the end, I find myself trying to crawl away on the ground, just desperate to get away from there. My blurry vision ultimately leads me to almost go crashing into Miss Bustier, who has knelt down in front of me and stretched out a hand in concern.

"Marinette? What's wrong?"

And suddenly I throw myself into her arms, sobbing into her shoulder. "Miss Bustier, it's awful! They all...all believe her, and not me. I didn't threaten her, I didn't. She threatened me! She said she'd turn them all against me a-and she did!"

Miss Bustier's comforting hug in return is what finally allows me to try and calm down. "Marinette, who are you talking about? Chloe?"

"Lila," I pull away, rubbing my eyes. "It's all Lila."

"Lila?" She sounds shocked, and it almost crushes me.

"Miss Bustier, may I please just go home? I-I can't do this. I can't. Not...not today."

"Um, yes. Yes, Marinette. Don't worry. I'll send Alya to drop your stuff off for you after-"

"No!" It's much more forceful than I intend. "No, I can just come get it later. Please, _please_ don't send someone with it."

My teachers frowns, but ultimately nods. "Alright, dear. Go on home. Do you have all your stuff?"

I nod, and she stands back up before helping me up to my feet. Mumbling a "thank you," I hurry down the stairs and out the door, racing back to the bakery.

"Mama!" I cry out, wrapping my arms around myself as I slide to the floor.

My mother pops her head out from the back, and I'm grateful to see that no one is here shopping right now. "Tom! We're closing the bakery for today. Marinette is here and needs us right now."

My dad steps out from the back, and blinks in surprise at the sight of me. Then he nods, heading to the door and turning the sign to "closed" as my mother helps me up the stairs, sitting down on the couch with me. For a few minutes, she just let's me cry in her arms, but when my father comes up, she gently eases away.

"What happened, Nette?" My dad asks, sitting down on the other side of me.

And with that, the dam breaks, and everything comes pouring out.

They sit and listen, not interrupting till I'm finished. I tell them everything that I can, excluding only the parts involving my secret identity. As I speak, I can see my papa's face grow angrier and angrier, but my mother's face is unreadable. And when I finish, they know the whole of it. They know everything about what Lila has done.

"So I just...needed to be home today. I couldn't do it. B-but I'll be fine tomorrow. I'll go back and make it work. I-"

"No," My mom interrupts, getting to her feet, "No, you aren't going to have to face that again. They are your classmates. Your _friends_. At least, they claim to be. I'm not sending you back to them when someone who has shown herself to be a liar could so easily sway them."

"Your mother's right," Papa agrees, wrapping his arms around me, "We are not going to let our little girl have to go to school just to keep suffering through that."

"But it'll just give Lila more to work with," I argue, tears welling up in my eyes all over again.

Mama shakes her head. "Maybe in the short term, but in the long run, it is much better to get you out of there now. I am not going to have you being isolated as you simply hope they'll see through her lies. Not today."

"We'll talk to the school about Lila, get them to-"

"No, we'll do more than talk to the school to try and get them to take action, Tom." My mother cuts him off again, taking her eyes off of me for the first time since I started telling them about what Lila has done. "We're going to have them switch Marinette to Ms. Mendeleiv's class."

"But Miss Bustier-" I begin.

She finished for me, "-is an amazing woman and teacher. I know you love her, but this is too big for her to handle. I mean her no disrespect, but she's already demonstrated that fact to us."

Papa gets to his feet to stand beside my mother. "This isn't what you want to hear, honey, we know. But this will ultimately be better for you. If we knew of another school nearby, I'd say we should send you there, but..."

"Besides, you'll still have Miss Bustier for some of your classes. She just won't be your homeroom teacher, and you'll be with different classmates. It'll be something new and exciting."

It takes some convincing, but I eventually relent. Everything they're saying makes sense, it's just not what I want to hear. I don't want to have to switch classes; I just want my old friends back. But as things stand, that isn't going to happen. Maybe Ms. Mendeleiv's class is the best choice for me.

* * *

It takes at least five phone calls and two hours of face to face discussion in Mr. Damocles' office, as well as some strongly worded emails from my mother, but finally the school relented. They hadn't wanted to switch me over, but my parents made it clear that unless it was done, I would be going somewhere else, and the bakery would no longer supply the school for events. That's what really did the trick.

And so on Monday, I found myself back at school, desperately trying to ignore the glares of my mingling classmates - _former_ classmates - as I walked up the stairs and into Ms. Mendeleiv's classroom. The purple-haired science teacher was already in her classroom, a change of pace from Miss Bustier, who often wouldn't be in her classroom till a little bit before class started. I shift awkwardly in the door way, unsure of what to do. How do I approach this situation? What am I supposed to say?

"Miss Dupain-Cheng," She says before looking up from the paper she's grading, "Front right row on the left side. You can see that I've set the work you will need to look over to catch up with my class there for you. Miss Bustier has said that for language and writing, you should be fine, but as my class is further ahead than our counterparts, there are some things you will need to complete so that you can keep up in the rest of our classes."

A little overwhelmed, I nod, taking a seat where instructed to and beginning to look over the work she left me.

Just a few moments later, I'm drawn out of it by one Kagami Tsurugi staring down at me, an unreadable expression on her face. "Why are you here?"

"I, uh, transferred classes."

"What?" Her eyes narrow, and I get the distinct impression that she's basically sizing me up. "Why?"

"Because I no longer have any friends there. Lila Rossi, a new student, has convinced them all that I am a jealous monster who bullied and threatened her, when all I tried to do was expose her as the liar she is."

"Marinette, let me be blunt with you. I do not like you," For some reason I still flinch, despite having attempted to brace myself for that statement, "But even I can see that you are a genuine person. You hesitate; it makes you weak. But your genuineness is what proved to me that you were a worthy opponent, despite your pathetic attempts to confess to Adrien that you can't seem to figure out."

So she's heard about those? News travels fast around here.

But then I blink, fully processing her words. Did Kagami just insult and compliment me in the same breathe? I...honestly don't know how to respond to that.

And suddenly Kagami - the Ice Queen herself - smiles at me. "Like I said, I don't like you, Marinette. And I don't think you like me. Since we have so much in common, shall we be friends?"

I stare at her for maybe a full minute, noting the hand she holds out for me to shake. Then I begin to giggle, and suddenly I'm laughing as she stares at me, obviously struggling to understand my reaction. Managing to calm myself down, I take her hand and shake it once before smiling back at her.

"Yes," I nod my head, "I guess we shall."

We stare at each other for another minute before both giggling, and I realize that perhaps the bluenette isn't as bad as I initially thought.

As school nears its start time, I note Mireille and Aurore walking in together, and smile, offering both a small wave. They stop and stare for a moment, obviously confused, before waving back and going to their respective seats on either side of the aisle. It's nice to see the two rivals getting along now. The thought causes me to glance back to Kagami and smiling again to myself.

Marc also appears, and after asking a few concerned questions that I told him I'd answer at lunch, he headed to the back of the room.

Man, in the few days since Lila returned, I almost forgot what it was like to have people who were concerned about you. Who'd wave and smile and ask how you were doing. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to have _friends_.

That causes me to frown again, but a quick elbow to the side from Kagami snaps me out of it as Ms. Mendeleiv stands up to begin class.

* * *

It wasn't enough.

Kagami might've been there through it all for me, but she was the only one. Even Adrien, the boy I had adored for so long, didn't say anything as Lila dragged him and everyone else along for the ride. It was as if every day he was in shock over what was happening, too shocked to do anything about it. Kagami had tried to knock some sense into him, but he insisted that eventually people would realize the truth for themselves.

So why was I now packing my bags to head off to a boarding school? Why hadn't one month, two weeks, and three days cleared everything up?

I take deep breathes, trying desperately not to cry as I think of what Lila has done. I'm a social pariah. Turning my class against me wasn't enough. As the new class representative, she led the rest of my ol, unwitting classmates in a smear campaign against me. And despite my new classmates - heck, the rest of the school - knowing me, they all believed her.

Aurore and Mirielle started avoiding me, whispering only to stop if I came near so that they could give me a dirty look.

Marc stopped sitting with us at lunch, shuffling away any time I approached.

Every time Kagami approached them on the matter, it was always the same story: We heard what she did to Lila. No wonder she switched classes. We aren't going to let her get away with all of the crap she's done.

Sure, people talked about Kagami, but she didn't care. People called her the Ice Queen at school, though not to her face. She knew and didn't let her affect her. But despite her best efforts to coach me, I wasn't Kagami. I was still Marinette, the girl who desperately wanted her friends back.

But that wasn't happening.

Even the teachers turned against me. Lila got special treatment, so I did too, but they were opposite ends of the spectrum. I got detentions for the smallest things, while whatever excuse she had to get out of it - sometimes she didn't even bother to provide one - kept her from ever stepping into that room. I got worse grades for mistakes that weren't called out for other people; sometimes, they were mistakes that were nonexistent. If I tried to speak up about it, I got in more trouble. I also was getting more assignments assigned than anyone else; Ms. Mendeleiv claimed it was still catch up work, but I knew better. They all believed what Lila said now.

It was like everyone had forgotten that she'd been exposed as a liar before. Everyone forgot what character I had always demonstrated in comparison to her.

Suddenly, Lila was an angel, and I was a demon.

Things continued to get worse. My locker would be vandalized with horrible comments. Or my desk. Things like "no one wants you here" and "you're a horrible person" were there. One person spit on me when I walked past them, and I had to restrain Kagami before she attacked them.

"It's not worth it," I told her.

She was quick to retaliate with, "Then why does it affect you?"

People conveniently slipped and spilled food on me. When walking in the hallway, legs would stick out so I would trip. Conveniently rough shoves when I tried to get through the hall to class.

Honestly, the final straw was when someone tossed my sketchbook in the fountain, and then I got in trouble for causing a commotion. Mr. Damocles said that this sort of accusation had come too many times, calling my parents to tell them I was suspended and needed to be picked up.

When they arrived in his office, my parents were livid. But this time, it wasn't my mom with her calculated words who speaks first. My passionate, emotional father, who actually yells before my mother finally decides to reign him in. Then she says that they understand what Mr. Damocles is saying, and my heart breaks for a moment before she pulls the rug out from underneath both me and Mr. Damocles.

"I understand that this school no longer deserves our support or Marinette's attendance. Marinette will not be returning after her suspension; we will be sending her to another school. Take the school's business to a different bakery."

I don't remember going home. I just remember hugging Mama and Papa and crying. How had this happened? Why? What did I do to deserve this? Tikki was my only defense against akumatization, or so I assumed. Without her, I'm certain I would've succumbed to one a while ago.

My parents told me that enough was enough. They were putting their foot down and getting me out of a bad situation. Mama had reached out to Mrs. Tsurugi, and the two had managed to find a boarding school that was affordable while also suitable for Kagami to attend.

It took a minute for what she said to sink in.

They were sending me off to boarding school to get me away from here. I wanted to tell them no, to fight them to let me stay here with them, but we all knew I wouldn't be able to last in homeschooling. I need to be social, to have people to talk to and spend time with, and homeschooling wouldn't provide that. Besides, leaving the school wouldn't solve anything with my peers if I stuck around.

But what about Ladybug?

"I don't want to leave you, Marinette," Tikki had said. "It's not time for me to leave."

"Can I still be Ladybug when this school is over an hour away?"

"Master Fu can make it work, even if you can't always come back to help. I refuse to abandon you now. We _will_ make this work."

And so, resolutely, I started packing my bag.

Now, Kagami is helping me finish since she is done with hers. We're leaving today - how Mrs. Tsurugi pulled that one off, I don't know - and so I need to finish.

My phone goes off, and Kagami tilts her head as I pick it up, noting the text on the screen.

 _From Adrien: Marinette, I need to talk to you. Can we meet up for lunch, please?_

Shaking my head and resisting the urge to cry any more times over this boy, I shut the phone off. No. I will not do that again. I'll be leaving around then, and even if I wasn't, why would I meet him now? He didn't stand up for me. I don't want to hear what he has to say now. He doesn't deserve it. He isn't worth it.

"Is this the right thing to do?" I ask Kagami.

She shrugs. I wonder if that's the only answer to that question I'll ever find.

* * *

As I get in the car with the Tsurugis and their driver, having kissed my parents goodbye and promising to call them every night, I note someone rushing towards the bakery. Adrien Agreste. Is he really that desperate to talk to me? I stiffen in my seat, but Kagami grabs my hand, squeezing it to draw my gaze away from him.

"Not worth it," She murmurs.

Why is that what everyone keeps telling me?

The car pulls away, but I force myself to look back. The look on Adrien's face is one of devastation. Why is he so upset? He didn't do anything to help me, so it can't be that. And even though I know he can't, I can't shake the feeling of his green eyes - green eyes I used to dream of staring into - boring into mine.

Throat constricting, I break the connection and turn back around, ignoring Kagami's curious look. This is sick. Why did it get to this point?

My hands ball into fists as I try to remember what Kagami said. It's not worth it. But that's what Adrien said too. That's what everyone has said. Sticking around, trying to change things, it's never worth it. Not to them. But what about to me? I want everything to be normal again.

More than that, I want everyone who allowed this to happen to pay.

I try to shake my head to chase away that dark thought, but I can't help wondering how different things would be if I wasn't forced to take the moral high ground. I just wanted to be happy. Was that too much to ask? Apparently.

And if they won't let me happy, why should they get to be?

I don't even realize how quick and shallow my breathing has gotten till Kagami shakes me. "Marinette!" I turn back to her, eyes wide. "Marinette, snap out of it."

I blink and nod, wondering if she knows just what place I went to in my head. I can't go back there. I can't listen to that side of me. I'm not that kind of person. I won't do that. I'm a good person.

But if I'm a good person, why did such dark thoughts feel so good?

* * *

 **And that's the end, at least for now. I might be adding a second one-shot that could be seen as connected, but we'll see. What were your thoughts? Was this good? Bad? This was heavily inspired by a few fanics that I recently read about similar concepts, but it was supposed to be a happy turn. As you can see, my writing took me in a very different direction. Should I try my hand another take of Chameleon later, where Marinette actually has people back her up to call Lila out? Are there any other one-shot prompts or ideas that I should try and write about? Let me know!**

 **See you guys soon! Hopefully it will be much sooner than the gap between my updates recently.**

 **~ Dagger**


	8. Support - None

Current One-Shot: Support. Social pariah Marinette Dupin-Cheng has been chased out of school by Lila. However, not everyone has been turned against her. Who will it take to see speak up before people open their eyes to what has happened? Adrien isn't sure. But one way or another, it will happen.

* * *

 **Support**

 **Aka the continuation of the one-shot before this, No More, where Marinette gets the support she needs. You do NOT have to read No More to understand this one, though it will enhance your experience. c; I don't want to say any more on the matter, so let's jump right in!**

* * *

 _Adrien's Point of View_

* * *

Surprisingly enough, it started with Chloe.

We'd had to write a tribute to someone we knew and admired for Miss Bustier's class. After being given two nights to work on them, we were required to share them. Miss Bustier had emphasized that not everyone would have to, but that we would receive bonus points if we did.

And to everyone's surprise, Chloe's hand was up in a moment. As she stood, she asked if Sabrina could record her as she gave her tribute. Miss Bustier hadn't even answered, yet the ginger was already fumbling for her phone.

"I...Well, I suppose so, Chloe. But why?" Our teacher leans forward, but Chloe shook her head, abstaining from answering and somehow being allowed to get away with it.

We all knew where this was going. On the one hand, it was likely that Chloe wrote a piece to either herself or Queen Bee. She never missed an opportunity to brag or put herself in the spotlight, and despite some growth, I wasn't sure that'd ever change. Chloe had an ego and arrogance to accompany it. On the other hand, Chloe adored Ladybug. There was the possibility that she had written it to her instead. That could also explain the want for a video; perhaps she intended to send it to Ladybug to try and get her attention and praise.

Yet, as Chloe began, I could tell that it wasn't just me who was shocked by what was being said.

"I am not a good person. Everyone knows that. I'm a bully and a brat. I'm selfish. Arrogant. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous." Chloe paused for a moment, composing herself before continuing. "I've only ever known two people that coud be considered good people. One of those people is Ladybug."

Everyone felt some relief to have that stabilization. Despite the bizarre start, Chloe was back on schedule to follow one of her two expected paths.

But then she deviated again.

"But the other one is a girl by the name of Marinette Dupain-Cheng." You could hear the startled gasps from our classmates, the growing unrest and dissatistfaction. Chloe didn't seem to care. "I've known Marinette for a very long time. I was in the same class with her for four years in a row, till she left this year. Her character never changed, never wavered. She was always a goood person, no matter the circumstance. And I hated her for it."

 _Where is this going?_ I bite my lip, trying to figure out what Chloe's game is. Because if it is what I think it is, then what kind of friend am I for not doing it before Marinette's long-standing rival?

"I was horrible to her. I teased her. I stole from her. I insulted her. I acted terribly towards her because she was such a good, sincere person, and I wasn't. She was a reminder to me of what I should be like. A reminder that I didn't want. Anyone who saw us interact could see that we hated each other. Yet, she was still kind to me. When I'd been akumatized into Queen Wasp, Marinette was the one to celebrate my abilities as Queen Bee in spite of it."

"And look where that got you? You aren't Queen Bee now, are you?" Lila asked, tilting her head.

"Shut up! I'm not done yet." The fury in Chloe's eyes was petrifying. "I wish Marinette were here right now, her insufferable goodness and all. I miss the support Marinette gave to the entire class. I miss her calling me out for my crap. I miss being able to think that I could wait till tomorrow to finally tell her all of this. But now it's too late. Now Marinette is gone, and I don't have the chance to tell her any of this.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a good person! And you guys all managed to forget that. She brought us sweets whenever there was a class event. She gave us gifts for our birthdays, personalized to what she knew we'd like. Even me, the girl she probably hated most for a long time. Remember when she helped Nathaniel and Marc meet in order to write a comic together? How they dedicate their works to her? Remember how she designed costumes for Kitty Section? That stupid band created by Rose and Juleka? Remember how she tried to help Ivan when Kim teased him about his crush on Mylene? How she did her best to encourage him to tell her how he felt? Remember how she made that banner for Kim and Alix's race? Did no one listen cllosely enough to realize that she almost messed up a big job for her parents in trying to keep her promise? Remember how she tried so hard to make sure Mylene got to keep her part in our class movie? Remember how, despite Alya being the new kid, she embraced her? How she supported her best friend despite some of her crazy antics to try and get information for her Ladyblog? Remember how she stood up to me and become the first person to challenge me in being class president? Remember how you all voted for her? What happened to change that?

"She was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She won Gabriel Agreste's hat contest. Clara Nightingale wanted her to play Ladybug in her music video before changing her idea for the video. She designed glasses for Jagged Stone, and he liked it so much that he brought her on again to make an album cover for her as well as visit her bakery for a TV show. She designed the outfits for Kitty Section, the ones that XY and his father thought were so good that they _stole_ them. For Pete's sake, my mother thought she was so good that she invited Marinette to go to New York with her to be trained up in the fashion world while she saw me as a disappointment!" Chloe is actively crying now, not even reading her written tribute. It is a crumbled ball, clenched tightly in her hands. "And I couldn't even hate her for it, because despite how desperately I tried not to, I liked Marinette. When we worked on a project together, it was _fun_. I convinced her to try and do a bad thing, so it didn't end well; yet I can't deny that I had fun trying to orchestrate a plan with Dupain-Cheng, of all people!

"And you sent her away!"

In a blaze of fury, Chloe flings her tribute aside, stomping up to Lila's desk. No one dares to move as she leans over the Italian transfer student, blue eyes boring into brown. I've never seen my childhood friend so angry before. What brought this on within her?

"I will never be able to truly apologize to one of the only good people in this world, Lila Rossi, and it is your fault. I don't know what happened in the bathroom that day, but I do know one thing; Marinette would never threaten Lila. Marinette was not a bully. She was a sweet, genuine person. And you all pushed her out. You turned on her so that you could support a new student you didn't know, when Marinette had years testifying to her character. Even worse, you turned to a student who you _knew_ had already been exposed as a liar. Does no one remember what Lila did as Volpina, an akuma? She claimed she was another Miraculous user. But she wasn't! How come no one ever talks about that?"

"Chloe-" Miss Bustier begins.

"I'm not done!" She snaps back, not even bothering to look at our teacher as she continues. "You, Lila, are a foul creature. You take whatever good you see and refuse to let it grow. You stifle it, choking it till the last bit of life drains out of it. And even worse, you do it from the background, orchestrating it so that it's the people the good person is supposed to trust that ultimately betray them."

Then she spins on her heel to stare at me, jabbing a finger in my face. "But you, Adrien? You're the most disappointing one of them all. I watched you. You were the only one besides me to not listen to Lila. And you did nothing. I at least know I'm a bad person. But you? You've always thought you were a good person, even if you never say it. Well guess what? You're wrong. Marinette always quoted Miss Bustier in saying that the only thing evil needs to triumph is for good to do nothing, or something like that. And Adrien? You did nothing."

"Chloe, sit do-" Again, Miss Bustier tries to stop her, this time standing up.

"I hate you guys!" Chloe announces, looking over everyone in the room before grabbing Lila by the collar of her shirt, pulling her up from her seat. "But I hate you most of all. And I swear, Lila, I will ruin you for what you did to a girl who never deserved it. I bulied Marinette, but no one _ever_ gave you permission to. She never did anything to you, you stupid-" She continues by allowing a series of profanities spew out of her mouth, somehow managing to call Lila every foul thing she can think of before Miss Bustier reaches her. Our teacher has to forcefully yank them apart, Chloe taking some of Lila's shirt with her. "Sabrina, send that to Dupain-Cheng. She needs to know that someone still remembers who she actually is, even though its the last person she'll find comfort from saying it. Remember this when all of you become disillusioned to what Lila is saying and see her for who she really is. Remember the girl you destroyed, chased out of the _school_ , because you didn't trust your friend!"

* * *

Then it was Luka Couffaine.

We were at a Kitty Section practice. I was back in the band despite my father's best efforts; this was one of my first practices back. Luka was all out of tune with his playing, and finally, Rose piped up to ask, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that you guys turned your back on an amazing girl," If Luka didn't care so much for his guitar, I could see him throwing it to the ground as he angrily spoke the words. It's the most emotion I've ever seen from him. However, he still gently sets his guitar onto its stand before turning his angry gaze to us, "Who was our friend. She worked with the band. She made us our costumes, supported us at each of our practices that she could come to, helped us enter XY's competition and then fought for us when he tried to steal our ideas. Never once did she hurt us. Ever since I met her, I've been in love with her, and it's destroying me to see you guys try and do this without her.

"Juleka, I don't think I've ever been more disappointed with you. You're a horrible excuse for a friend, especially after Marinette worked so hard to help you in the past. Remember how you thought you were cursed? How you could never be photographed? You told me about all the stuff Marinette did to help. How Rose told you that Mari tried to fight for everyone to wait for you when she realized you weren't there for the class photo. How she tried to steal the photographer's camera card so that she could force him to have to retake it, only to be thwarted by Chloe. How she organized a second photoshoot where you were in every picture, disproving your curse? How did yoy forget that?"

"Luka, why are you saying this?" Rose asked, stepping protectively in front of Juleka, who simply hid her face to avoid meeting Luka's gaze.

"Because until you guys show me what happened to the band mates I've spend so much time with, I'm out of here."

"What?" Ivan voices all of our feelings.

Luka turns away, hands balling into fists. "I quit the band. I refuse to continue on with a group that would hate someone unjustly, especially someone who I consider as a very close friend of mine. If the old members of Kitty Section remember who they actually are, you have my phone number. Otherwise, have fun without me. I'm going to go meet up with Marinette."

He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him, and left us all staring at each other, unsure what to do after that proclamation. It was only after a few moments that it fully sunk in. Then Rose suddenly had her arms wrapped around Juleka as she dscussed how unfair Luka had just been and how everything was okay as Juleka seemingly cried behind her bangs. Ivan simply stood by one of the windows, staring out of it as if he could cut through the glass with just his eyes.

And I was once again left wondering if I was really the friend I claimed to be if I had now also failed to be the _second_ person to stand up to Lila by sticking up for Marinette.

* * *

It continued on with Jagged Stone, who, if I was being honest, probably didn't even know the depth of what he'd done.

He was being interviewed by Alya for the Ladyblog after he had to be saved from an akumatized XY. For the most part, Alya had just been livestreaming her chat with him about what Ladybug and me were like, since Jagged Stone had "worked" with us multiple times.

But then she asked the faithful question.

"Oh, I know this is off-topic, but could you tell me the title of the song you wrote for Lila Rossi. I've tried to dig through some of your old songs, but there's just so many of them to try and get through to find it."

I'm not sure I've ever seen the rockstar look more confused. "Excuse me, who?"

Alya blinked, glancing to the camera as she tried to hide her own confusion. "You know, Lila Rossi? She told us you wrote a song for he-"

"Writing a song about a teenage girl? No way. That's bad press. Even if I had any inclination to do so, I know better than to do something like that. Penny would never let."

"But Lila said- nevermind. Look, she saved your cat's life on an airplane and her ear got seriously messed up in the process, though. How could you _not_ know her?"

"Miss Ladyblogger, I have absolutely know idea who you're talking about. I've never met a Lila Rossi before, and I certainly have never owned a cat. I'm allergic to fur; that's part of why I have Fang." He scratches the back of his head, staring at his other hand in his lap. "I'm not sure why the girl is telling you any of that, but she's lying, which isn't very rock and rolling."

"Are you sure you don't know her?" Apparently Alya is determined to keep digging. "She's an Italian transfer student in my class at College Francoise Dupont. Maybe if I showed you a pic-"

"College Francoise Dupont? I have worked with a girl from there before!"

Alya smiles, seeming to have been put at ease. "See? I knew you had to know-"

Jagged Stone interrupts, fishing through his jacket and pulling out a pair of sunglasses with red, white, and blue eiffel towers on them. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Alya's nose wrinkles in disgust as she physically pulls away from Jagged. "She's an absolutely amazing designer. She made these cool glasses for me, and she also designed an album cover for me when no one could get it right. If I were going to write a song about anyone, it'd be her to try and thank her for all the designing she's done for me. Actually, now that I think about it, I believe she's mentioned you before. Aren't you a friend of hers?"

"With Marinette? Of course not! She bullied Lila, a perfectly innocent, genuine person who hadn't done anything wrong. She was so humiliated at being exposed as a bully that she switched schools!"

Jagged's face is unreadable. "What?"

"She's going to a boarding school somewhere apparently. Was too ashamed to even be seen around here, I guess. I still can't believe I ever believed she was a goo...Hey, wait, where are you going?"

"To find out what happened to my favorite designer. That girl is like a niece to me."

* * *

That conversation left quite the impression on our class. It was a shame that Chloe was still suspended, so she couldn't see the apprehensive looks everyone was giving each other as they now started to question Lila's words. Granted, she was still trying to spin lies to cover her butt, but people seemed a bit less eager to listen and believe. At least, not at first.

But the icing on the cake was when Alya interviewed Ladybug and made a brief reference to Lila Rossi, her supposed best friend.

"Lila and I are _not_ friends. I can't condone lying, and that's all she does. How could she and I have even been close friends? She was in Italy till this year, but I was here."

Alya was caught off guard, and frankly, so was I. I know Ladybug hates liars - she's told me before, and I can tell that she can get quite dismayed when discussing hiding our secret identities - so that wasn't a shock. But why did Ladybug care so much about Lila?

"She hurt someone very close to me." Ladybug's eyes narrow as she turns away from the camera, Alya, and me. "Even if we were friends, I could never forgive her for that. My friend was forced to watch everyone turn against them. They switched classes to get away, but it wasn't enough. Lila turned the entire school against them, and there was nothing they could do about it. Finally, it was all too much. They had one last friend, and both of them switched schools togther."

"A-Are you talking about Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" Alya's eyes are wide with horror.

"Yes. I am."

"But Lila said-"

"You all believed a new student over your friend? She always said you were her best friend, Alya. That you would be there for her through thick and thin. What sort of best friend are you if you didn't even hear your friend out, instantly believing a stranger who had already been akumatized over lying?" Ladybug stands up and walks over to the window before glancing back at us. "That _sickens_ me."

"Ladybug-" Alya gasps out the name, looking like she's about to cry.

"Bugaboo?" I stand as she pulls the window open.

Then she swings out, and I'm tearing after her. Alya can wait. Ladybug is what's important right now. Sure, she'd vaguely mentioned knowing Marinette before, but why was she suddenly saying all these things? Were the two close as civilians? Perhaps Ladybug went to Marinette's new boarding school? But that was far away; it would be almost impossible for her to get here all the time, wouldn't it? No, Ladybug must've known Marinette before she was chased away. That must be why this was all so raw for her.

"M'lady?" I finally land on a rooftop, glancing around to see where my partner might have gone. Did I lose her? Has she already transformed and gotten home? But I need to talk to her! However, when I hear some whimpering from behind a chimmney, I realize that she hasn't gotten away after all. "M'lady, are you there?"

"Go away, Kitty," She chokes out from her hiding spot.

I turn the corner, but my jaw nearly drops at the sight. Because it's not Ladybug curled up and crying there: it's Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Horrified, I find that I can't look away as I kneel down, spotting Ladybug's - Marinette's? - kwami as it ducks behind her hair.

"But...But..."

"I hate her, Chat," Suddenly the bluenette has her arms wrapped around me as she blubbers into my shoulder. "She took away all my friends and I hate her. She threatened me in the bathroom. She told me she'd make everyone hate me if I didn't stop trying to expose her for the liar she was. And I told the boy I liked, who I trusted more than anything," I blanch, though she doesn't notice. Does...does she mean me? "Told me just to leave it. He said it wasn't worth it. So I did nothing, and she still turned everyone against me! He said they'd all see through her lies eventually, but they didn't! Chat, I trusted him, and yet when the class confronted me and believed her, he didn't do anything. I thought I loved him! I thought maybe, just maybe, he might love me too one day. Or that he'd at least be my friend.

"But he wasn't. He didn't support me when I needed him to. Why didn't he support me when I needed him to?"

As I cradled Marinette in my arms, her desperate begging and pleading for an answer filling my ears, I wondered the same thing. "I don't know, Marinette. I don't know."

* * *

Apparently, Ladybug was the last straw for the class.

Everyone turned against Lila. She was shunned for what she did, and then suspended by the school administration till they decided whether she would be expelled or not. And, only a few days after Chloe came back from _her_ suspension, Marinette very hesitantly returned to our class. While no one knew that for sure, rumor had it that the school had to fight to convince Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng to re-enroll their daughter at their school. And they were purportedly easier to convince then Marinette herself.

When she walked back in for the first time, it was with a very scary-looking Kagami Tsurugi in tow. The other bluenette had also rejoined the school, and Marinette made it a caveat that they be in the same class upon returning. The school agreed in its eagerness to make up for what they had done, which was why she was here now. Despite her expression being unreadable, Kagami's stance said everything: If any of you hurt her, I will break you.

Something told me that threat extended to me as well.

The room was silent as everyone watched Marinette enter. Then Alya, who was standing in the front of the room waiting for her, stepped towards her once best friend to try and greet her. "Marinette, I-I'm so sor-"

Marinette sidestepped past the Ladyblogger and her open arms, instead approaching Chloe's desk. For a moment, the two locked gazes, just staring at each other. Alya, who tried to step after Marinette, was yanked back by Kagami, and while no words were exchanged, something was apparently said, because Alya returned to her seat almost shaking. To be honest, it looked like she was about to cry. And as Alya sat down, Marinette finally broke eye contact with Chloe as she shifted around the desk and hugged her.

"Thank you," I could barely make out the words, but Marinette definitely said them as she clung to Chloe.

And I didn't think I imagined seeing Chloe tearing up as she hugged her back.

* * *

 **There we go! One of the two continuations that I am intending to write for the one-shot, No More. Take your guess on whether that was the happy or sad one that I have planned. c;**

 **Anyways, what did you guys think? Was this good? Bad? Which defense did you guys like best? Personally, I feel like Chloe's is the best, but I'm interested to see what you guys think. Are there any one-shots you want to see me try a hand at later? Let me know in a review!**

 **See you guys soon! :D Hopefully I can start posting stuff more consistently now.**

 **~ Dagger**


End file.
